Written answers

Thursday, 1 April 2021

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Waste Data

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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30. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the volume of materials collected across the network of bring centres; the composition of same; and the way this has changed compared with five and ten years ago, respectively. [17871/21]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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31. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way materials collected at bring centres are processed, broken down by the amounts that go to hazardous waste disposal, to reuse outlets and to recycling; the way the residue is disposed of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17872/21]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together.

In 2018 137,000 tonnes of waste materials (excluding waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and construction and demolition (C&D) waste) was collected at the various civic amenity sites in Ireland. This was an increase of approximately 7,000 tonnes on volumes collected in 2013.

The 2018 total included 30,000 tonnes mixed residual waste, 28,000 tonnes bulky waste, 18,400 tonnes garden waste, 15,000 tonnes wood and 8,950 tonnes metals. Hazardous waste, which includes items such as batteries, paints, inks, hydraulic or lubricating oils, aerosols and detergents, amounted to 2,200 tonnes.

All materials accepted at civic amenity sites are segregated at the point of deposition into the various waste streams.

- Municipal Waste Streams - The materials are shipped for processing at Material Recycling Facilities where they are baled for reprocessing. Any material not suitable for reprocessing (approximately 10%-20%) is prepared to Solid Refuse Fuel (SRF) specifications for use as a replacement fossil fuel.

- C&D Waste Streams - The materials are shipped to C&D sorting facilities where the streams are separated into their component parts. All the sorted material is recycled/recovered apart from C&D fines which is generally estimated at < 1% of the total stream and this is sent to landfill for disposal.

- Hazardous Waste Stream - Hazardous materials are packaged into UN containers on the civic amenity site and exported for recovery at waste to energy plants abroad.

- Compost Materials - All material is shipped for recycling to Compost and Anaerobic Digestion facilities in Ireland.

- WEEE - WEEE is collected for recycling /reuse by the Producer Responsibility Initiative (PRI) schemes.

- Reuse - The direct reuse of materials takes place at a number of civic amenity sites and consideration is being given to expanding this.

The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, which I launched in September 2020, contains a commitment to formalise the role of civic amenity sites and agree a standard list of waste streams to be accepted at such sites. In this regard the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices, with support from my Department, have recently published a National Review of Civic Amenity Sites, which is available online at: .

Discussions have commenced with the local authority sector on implementation of the report recommendations. This will allow civic amenity sites to play a greater role in our transition to a more circular economy through measures such as coordinated education and awareness programmes, greater uptake of reuse schemes, standardising a list of waste streams accepted at such sites and collective approaches to extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, and this will assist in continuing our success in reducing the amount of waste disposed of at landfills.

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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32. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated proportion of the volumes put onto the market that are recovered in respect of each of the extended producer responsibility, EPR, schemes; the volumes that go to reuse outlets and to recycling; the way the residue is disposed of; the estimated cost of the scheme per tonne placed on the market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17873/21]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The specific information sought is not held by my Department.

The EPA is the competent authority with responsibility for compiling waste data in Ireland and publishes annual reports on this. These reports assess Ireland’s performance against the recycling and recovery targets set out in EU and national legislation. Details of these national waste statistics can be found at www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics/ .

Information on the operations and finances of each EPR scheme is provided in their Annual Reports, which are published on their individual websites. Under their respective Ministerial approval EPR schemes are required to attain national and EU targets and to promote reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery. They must also ensure that their actions proactively enable Ireland to transition towards a circular economy.

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