Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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121. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the role and function of a company (details supplied), a consortium of producers operating within the Republic of Ireland; what relationship it has with his Department; what duties it has been sanctioned by his Department; and what are its responsibilities in relation to the Single Use Plastics Directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54656/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The EU Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive, adopted in July 2019, obliges Member States to establish Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes for a range of single use products, including tobacco filter products containing plastic.

The Single Use Plastics Regulations (SI No 516 of 2021) were signed in October 2021, completing the transposition of the SUP Directive. Under these Regulations, producers of tobacco filter products may not place those products on the Irish market unless they are a member of an approved EPR Scheme, effective from 5th January 2023.

In November 2022, the European Union (EPR) (Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic) Regulations 2022 (SI 609 of 2022) were signed. Under these Regulations, it is the responsibility of producers who place these products on the Irish market to establish an EPR and to nominate a person/body to apply to the Minister to operate the EPR. In addition to funding the operation of the EPR, producers are required to cover the cost of litter clean up, public waste collection, data gathering and awareness raising measures relating to their products.

In response to their obligations under the SUP Directive, the Irish tobacco industry established Tobacco Products Plastic Filter Group (TPPFG) and, in December 2022, I approved an application from TPPFG to establish and operate as an EPR in Ireland.

The functions of the TPPFG are set out in Regulation 5 (Functions of an Approved Body) of SI 609 of 2023.