Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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138. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will outline the progress in developing a new circular economy strategy with sectoral targets, and an EPA programme of actions, which implement the provisions of the Circular Economy Act. [2979/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Ireland’s strategic approach to the Circular Economy is currently set out in the Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy 2022-2023. The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 (‘the Act’) provides a statutory basis for future iterations of the Strategy, and also requires that such iterations include sectoral targets aimed at promoting circularity across the range of resource-intensive economic sectors specified in the Act.

My Department is currently preparing the second iteration of the Strategy. A Circular Gap Report for Ireland has been commissioned as part of this work. This Report will provide the required evidence base and technical analysis for the new Strategy which will be submitted for Government approval, following a public consultation, before the end of this year.

The EPA launched the Circular EconomyProgramme 2021-2027 (a restructured National Waste Prevention Programme) in December2021. The Strategy and the Programme are closelyrelated and complementary pieces of public policy. The Programme supportsimplementation of the Strategy and the Act. Key activities include:

• Producing official waste and circular economy statistics and characterisation surveys;
• Leading the National Food Waste Prevention Programme in support of the National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap;
• Acting as the Competent Authority for End-of-waste and By-product regulation;
• Producing national by-products and end of waste criteria for construction materials;
• Supporting the implementation of Green Public Procurement;
• Delivering a programme of circular economy behavioural insights and studies;
• Providing innovation & demonstration funding support.

Further details are available at: The Circular Economy | Environmental Protection Agency (epa.ie)