Written answers

Monday, 9 September 2024

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Waste Management

Photo of Darren O'RourkeDarren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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138.To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the public funding provided to private operators of public refuse collection, disposal and recycling, broken down by private contractor and local authority, from 2009 to 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form.[35717/24]

Photo of Darren O'RourkeDarren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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139.To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the public funding provided for municipal waste collection, disposal and recycling in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35718/24]

Photo of Darren O'RourkeDarren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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140.To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the public funding provided for domestic municipal waste collection, disposal and recycling in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35719/24]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 to 140, inclusive, together.

Under the Waste Management Act, local authorities are responsible for waste management planning, including planning for the collection and treatment of waste in their functional areas. Most domestic waste collection is carried out by private waste collection companies operating under waste collection permits. My Department does not hold information on the amounts individual local authorities spend on waste management on an annual basis.

Photo of Darren O'RourkeDarren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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141.To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the public funding provided to collect, dispose or recycle illegally dumped material in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35720/24]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Under the Waste Management Act, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping lies with the local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate awareness, enforcement, clean-up and disposal actions in relation to illegal dumping, taking account of local circumstances and priorities. As such my Department does not hold information on the amounts individual local authorities spend on managing illegally dumped waste on an annual basis.

However, my Department provides significant support to the local authority sector in their efforts to deal with incidences of illegal dumping. Almost €18m has been provided to the sector under the Anti-Dumping Initiative (ADI) since it was first introduced in 2017 in order to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, community groups and other State Agencies to tackling the problem. Innovative projects, which recognise waste as a resource that can be re-purposed for use in a Circular Economy are particularly encouraged under the Initiative. €2.84m was provided in support of the ADI in 2023, while a further €3m has been allocated in support of the Initiative in 2024.

Full details of the amounts provided to individual local authorities by my Department under the ADI for each of the years 2017 - 2023 (2024 allocations have yet to be finalised), including details of the specific projects supported by county are available on www.gov.ie at the following link - www.gov.ie/en/publication/e27ac-anti-dumping-initiative/

My Department also continues to invest heavily in the local authority waste enforcement network through the Waste Enforcement Measures Grant Scheme, with the intention of maintaining a visible presence of waste enforcement personnel on the ground across the State. €7.7m was provided to local authorities under the scheme in 2023 with a similar amount allocated for 2024.

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