Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
83. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the assessment his Department has made of the damage caused to waste management facilities by discarded nitrous oxide canisters, with individual incidents reported to have cost up to €30,000; whether producer responsibility or deposit-style obligations for canister disposal have been considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53345/26]
View answerThe waste management system in Ireland is owned and operated by private commercial enterprises and as such any assessment of costs associated with the improper disposal of nitrous oxide cannisters is a matter for the individual private operators concerned.
Under EU waste legislation, discarded pressurised containers of nitrous oxide should be classified and treated as hazardous waste and as such used nitrous oxide cannisters should not be placed in the residual waste bin or the recycling bin and require a specialist hazardous waste disposal service for collection and appropriate treatment.
My Department has engaged with the local authority sector and other relevant stakeholders, under the auspices of the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan, to prioritise the development of a system which will assist local authorities in managing discarded nitrous oxide cannisters as a matter of urgency.
Arising from this process of engagement, a Working Group has been established, chaired by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices, to address the issue. Membership of the Working Group consists of representatives of the local authority sector, the Environmental Protection Agency and officials from the Department. It will prioritise the development of guidance and procedures to assist all local authorities in appropriately managing this material via the civic amenity site network. In addition, the Working Group is committed to developing appropriate awareness raising measures to ensure that the public are fully informed about how to properly dispose of this material.
I am advised that, under Section 3 of the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010, it is an offence to sell, import or export a psychoactive substance for human consumption, including nitrous oxide. As such the introduction of producer responsibility or a deposit return type scheme to manage this material would not be appropriate.
