Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will advise on requirements for commercial waste companies to offer compost bins to customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47051/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Under the European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) Regulations 2015, household waste collectors are required to provide, or arrange for the provision of, a separate collection service for food waste for all households situated in population agglomerations of greater than 500 persons.

The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, published in September 2020, contains some 200 measures which will be delivered on a phased basis over the 5 year lifetime of the Plan, including a number of specific measures which will support the expansion of the brown bin service to all households in the State, including:

- Continuing to commit resources nationally to the prevention of food waste and to the regulation of optimal food waste collection and treatment practices;

- Making the provision of an organic waste bin mandatory as part of a waste collection service for all households;

- Through changes to waste collection permits, and working with the Local Authority sector, ensuring that every householder and business has access to a reliable, clean and sustainable way of managing food waste;

- Working to improve waste segregation in the commercial sector, including an awareness campaign and enforcement actions requiring segregated bins and incentivised charging to ensure waste minimisation and proper segregation;

- Using National Waste Collection Permit Office and other ‘brown bin’ data to develop strategies and investigate how new technology can support greater usage.

My officials have already commenced the process of engaging with the key stakeholders, including the waste collection industry, with a view to delivering on these commitments in as short a time frame as possible. Part of the work will ensure that delivery of the national rollout of organic bins is consistent with other measures in the Waste Action Plan.