Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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169. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the assistance available from his Department or agencies funded by his Department to assist organisations or companies involved in waste diversion projects to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and increase the amount of reuse and recycling of all types of material that both domestic and commercial business are disposing of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9377/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, and the Waste Action Plan 2020-2025, A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (September 2020) commit to a range of actions to support Ireland's transition to a circular economy, including the publication of a Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy (December 2021). The EPA’s Circular Economy programme, launched in December 2021 and funded by my Department, supports the implementation of the Strategy. A key theme of these policies and projects is the diversion of materials away from waste streams and into re-use.

The Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme (CEIGS), administered by my Department, directly supports the growth of the circular economy in Ireland via a competitive funding process. In 2021, 10 projects were initially selected to benefit from a total funding pot of €490,000. Ultimately 2 of those projects could not be proceeded with, and no public expenditure was incurred in relation to either.

A second CEIGS funding call was launched in 2022, with total available funding set at €650,000. The 2022 funding call closed in December and the applications received are currently being evaluated.

The Circular Economy Strategy further commits to increasing per annum funding under the CEIGS to €1million by 2024.

Separately, funding of just under €1.5m has been committed to the circular manufacturing platform Circuléire in 2023. Circuléire is a supported network of manufacturers, dedicated to the development of large-scale systems-level innovation and demonstration projects, designed to foster and enhance circular economy knowledge, capacity building and implementation by Irish industry.

The second iteration of the Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy is to be published by the end of this year, and I intend to consider additional funding opportunities for circular activities as part of the Strategy's preparation.