Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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149. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has engaged with the European Union or international partners on the collection and reporting of data which will facilitate the collating of data on the quantities of PET plastic which are recycled domestically and exported. [48878/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Dialogue within the European Union regarding the collection and reporting of data for all waste packaging takes place within the context of the Waste Framework Directive and related legislation such as the Waste Shipment Regulation and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which will be replaced in 2026 by measures under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Requirements under these laws for the collation and reporting of data are agreed following careful negotiation at EU level. Those discussions are informed and influenced by the need to balance the final value of this data with the reporting burden it places on commercial operators within the sector and the administrations of Member States. At present, data relating to the recycling of specific plastic polymers is not collated. The recently agreed PPWR, however, proposes to begin collecting some data on individual polymers after 2030 and this includes whether these materials are recycled domestically or elsewhere. This will require the introduction of further EU secondary legislation to ensure that data is collected and collated on a harmonised and comparable basis across the Single Market.