Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

44. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the initiatives currently operating and those planned to encourage domestic recycling. [9456/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, Ireland's National Waste Policy 2020-2025, which I launched in September 2020, contains some 200 measures which will be delivered on a phased basis over the 5 year lifetime of the Plan. A number of these measures specifically address the need to improve our recycling practices, including;

- Incorporating municipal waste recycling targets as conditions of waste collection permits;

- Working to improve waste segregation in the commercial sector;

- Delivering sustained and visible public behavioural change campaigns, targeting individuals, business and the public sector, to encourage waste prevention and recycling;

- Revisiting the current national standardised list of items acceptable in the mixed dry recyclable bin with a view to expanding the list to capture more recyclable materials;

- Driving higher levels of segregation to support investment in treatment capacity;

- Examining how segregated waste and recycling bins using uniform labelling could be provided on street, and at public events and festivals.

Implementation of the Waste Action Plan is underway, including through extensive engagement with key stakeholders, and I am confident that we will continue to meet and exceed our EU targets for municipal recycling.