Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

87. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has advocated for the collation of data relating to specific plastic polymers at an EU level. [60468/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Collation and reporting of waste data in the EU is done on the basis of the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), sometimes referred to as the List of Waste (LoW). This is a hierarchical list of waste descriptions established by Commission Decision 2000/532/EC which assigns individual wastes a six-figure identification code.

Hazardous wastes are signified by entries where the code is followed by an asterisk. The codes are based on a combination of source-industry, material, and process. It provides a harmonised framework for the comparison of standardised waste statistics across European Member States. The EWC does not currently break down plastic wastes by polymer type, which is why plastic waste figures are reported as a global total.

The recently introduced Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) identified a need for greater granularity in packaging data. It has accordingly expanded reporting requirements for packaging producers and waste recovery operators to include separate data on six different plastic types, including rigid PET, but stops short of revising the List of Waste.

Ireland’s view, expressed during negotiations on the PPWR, is that an amendment of the List of Waste would be the most advantageous way of giving effect to the desire for more granular data on packaging waste. Ireland would accordingly be positively disposed, subject to appropriate consideration of details, to an amendment to the List of Waste codes. I have asked department officials to engage with the Commission on this issue during discussions on secondary legislation arising under PPWR and discussions on the proposed European Circular Economy Act.