Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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38. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the expenditure on national public awareness campaigns for waste services (details supplied) over the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3671/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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My Department has spent approximately €4.4 million since 2016 on awareness raising measures on various aspects of better waste management, through campaigns organised directly by my Department and also through supporting the Regional Waste Management Offices in their ongoing efforts through mywaste.ie, with the amounts spent annually shown below:

2020€707,757

2019€846,122

2018€1,423,025

2017€1,357,966

2016€27,788

In addition, my Department also provides funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support the National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP) which has a major focus on awareness raising and effecting behavioural change with food waste identified as a priority area. The EPA has spent approximately €2.8 million since 2010 on food waste prevention and on the Stop Food Waste Campaign. More detailed information on their annual food waste spending in the table at the link below.

The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, which I published in September 2020, sets out an ambitious range of actions that will place Ireland in the top tier of EU waste performance, including measures to empower households and businesses through education and awareness raising.