Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the EU's Waste Framework Directive dealing with textile recycling come fully into effect in Ireland; and the actions which will flow from it. [17717/26]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The revised Waste Framework Directive with respect to food waste and textiles entered into force in October last year. Ireland will be required to transpose the Directive by 17 June 2027 and have an EPR scheme for textiles in place by 17 April 2028. The Department has begun work on drafting the necessary regulations to transpose the Directive.

The key actions arising from this Directive as it pertains to textiles will be the establishment of an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme (EPR) for textiles and the setting up of a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) to run the scheme on behalf of producers. This EPR will support textile collection, sorting, repair, reuse and recycling as well as funding initiatives to inform consumers about sustainable textiles and support research in waste prevention and management.

The Directive also covers measures in relation to the shipment of used textiles, and addresses requirements for inspections and sorting of the materials prior to export.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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14. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether each city and county council, under the EU's Waste Framework Directive, as it pertains to textile recycling, will have to ensure all successful tenderers will be required to sort all textiles before sending them onwards for resale, reuse, repurposing or waste; when all councils will be required to have contractors in place in place to carry such work unless the council intends to carry out the work itself; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17718/26]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The revised Waste Framework Directive with respect to food waste and textiles entered into force in October last year. The Directive provides for the establishment of an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme (EPR) for textiles and the setting up of a Producer Responsibility organisation (PRO) to run the scheme on behalf of producers by April 2028.

It provides that producers will be responsible for setting up textile collection systems for used and waste textiles and footwear and ensuring they are subject to sorting operations so that their treatment is in line with the waste hierarchy.

The Directive provides that Member States will ensure that relevant actors are involved in the implementation of the EPR including producers, PROs, waste operators, local authorities, re-use operators and social economy entities. Local authorities will be a key stakeholder in the development of an EPR scheme for textiles, in accordance with the Directive’s provisions.

Later this month, I plan to publish the National Policy Statement & Roadmap on Circular Textiles 2026-2028. The Statement will address how green public procurement criteria can support best practice in textile collection services.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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15. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the grants which will be available under the rollout of the EU's Waste Framework Directive as it pertains to textile recycling to accelerate and carry out the huge task of improving Ireland's poor textile recycling rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17719/26]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The revised Waste Framework Directive with respect to food waste and textiles entered into force in October last year. In relation to textiles, the Directive imposes a requirement to establish an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme (EPR) for textiles and the setting up of a Producer Responsibility organisation (PRO) to run the scheme on behalf of producers by April 2028.

The Directive provides that Member States will ensure that producers designate one or more PROs to fulfil their EPR obligations on their behalf. The Directive further provides that producers cover the costs of the following: collection and management of used and waste textiles and footwear; collection; transport; sorting; preparing for reuse; and recycling operations.

In due course, textile producers’ fees will provide the funds necessary to support collection, sorting, repair, reuse and recycling and other activities as stipulated in the Directive including initiatives to inform consumers about sustainable textiles and to research waste prevention and management.

In 2025, I made grants available to local authorities to support local collection infrastructure and to ensure we met our national obligation to provide separate collection of textiles. The provision of further grant assistance will be kept under review as we progress implementation of the Waste Framework Directive requirements.