Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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274. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if all his Department’s buildings have recycling arrangements in place; if not, the steps that are being taken to ensure that the recycling of workplace waste is facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49557/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Since the establishment of my Department in August 2020, my staff have worked across several locations. Several of these buildings are shared and operated by the Department of Education and as such my staff in those buildings adhere to Department of Education initiatives on recycling.

The Property Management Services in the Office of Public Works, acquired new office space for my Department’s Head Quarters at 52 Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 in September 2021. My Department operates many recycling measures in the building including centralised recycling facilities on each floor and organic matter detachment in appropriate areas. To further encourage the recycling of waste, individual desk bins have been removed to promote separation of waste in the centralised areas. Waste disposal is currently separated into general, recyclable and organic materials similar to the black, green and brown bin systems found in many homes across the country. In addition, my staff bring recyclable material that is currently not catered for by waste collection providers, such as glass bottles, to local bring centres. Separate arrangements are in place for collecting and recycling printer toner cartridges and associated materials.

My officials continue to take measures to increase recycling where possible.