Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

200. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on how innovation and digitalisation is being used to tackle littering; if microchipping a percentage of disposable coffee cups is being considered as a way of identifying litterers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17353/23]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Under the Litter Pollution Act, 1997, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to litter pollution lies with local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate public awareness, enforcement, and clean-up actions in relation to litter taking account of local circumstances and priorities.

My Department provides financial support to local authority efforts to tackle litter through the Anti-Litter & Anti-Graffiti Awareness Grant Scheme. In 2022 €750,000 was provided under this Scheme and a similar amount is expected to be made available in 2023.

Funding is also provided annually in support of a number of important anti-litter initiatives such as the National Spring Clean, Picker Pals, the PURE Project and Irish Business against Litter.

The recently enacted Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act advances several legislative provisions which will further support Local Authorities in their anti-litter efforts, including providing for the GDPR-compliant use of a range of technologies, such as CCTV for litter enforcement purposes and an increase in the level of the on-the-spot fine for littering.

I have no plans to require microchipping of disposable cups but I will be introducing a levy on coffee cups later this year as a way of reducing our reliance on single-use items.