Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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23. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will place a levy on construction and demolition waste under the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44125/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy,  launched by Minister Ryan in September 2020, recognizes the vital importance of improving how waste arising from the construction and demolition (C&D) sector is managed, given that it is the largest waste stream in the EU and represents a huge cost and loss of value to the construction sectorThe Waste Action Plan, which has a dedicated chapter on construction and demolition waste, outlines a number of measures in this regard including:

- Continuing to promote best practice, track waste flows and strengthen enforcement as recommended by the Construction Waste Resource Group;

- C&D waste management plan guidelines will be updated and we will work with Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage to bring C&D waste ultimately within the framework of statutory planning guidelines;

- Continuing to work with relevant stakeholders to expand the inclusion of green criteria in procurement;

-  Examining methods to encourage source segregation of waste materials which could include incentivised pricing or other financial instruments to support segregation; and

- Putting in place incentives to encourage the use of recycled materials including a possible levy on the use of virgin aggregates in construction projects, or build thresholds into Green Public Procurement.