Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
222. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the amount of recyclable material collected in Ireland that was exported for recycling or reprocessing in each of the past five years, broken down by material type. [68876/26]
View answer223. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the amount of PET plastic was collected for recycling in Ireland for the latest year that figures are available; the amount that was reprocessed in Ireland; and the amount that was exported for reprocessing. [68875/26]
View answer224. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the amount of plastic waste collected for recycling in Ireland that was reprocessed in Ireland for the latest year that figures are available; the amount that was exported for reprocessing; and the State’s capacity currently to recycle plastic waste. [68874/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 222, 223 and 224 together.
The Environmental Protection Agency collects data on volumes of material collected for recycling in Ireland and data on material exported for recycling abroad. This data is available on the Agency's website at the following link:
https://www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring--assessment/waste/national-waste-statistics/municipal/
As matters stand, there are no official statistics confirming the amount of rPET (recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) pellet produced, recycled or exported from the State.
The EU list of waste codes does not isolate individual polymers within the statistics, so it is not possible to know how much plastic packaging waste is rPET material. Including PET within the waste code system would improve our understanding of the movement and use of this material and Department officials have asked the European Commission to expand the List of Waste codes to provide greater granularity for plastic polymers.
The waste management industry in Ireland remains reliant, in part, on the export market to meet its processing needs for waste packaging produced here. Given the current volume and grade of material collected, this is mostly recycled abroad for reasons of economic viability.
Not with standing these constraints, a number of measures are planned or underway which will boost recycling rates and make recycling on the island a more attractive proposition for investors.
These measures include:
The Deposit and Return Scheme is delivering greater volumes of high-quality PET for recycling.
Requirements for recycled content in all packaging under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and for PET bottles specifically (under the Single Use Plastics Directive), will increase demand for quality recyclate, strengthening the economics of recycling.
Requirements for harmonised labelling, and design-for-recycling criteria, under the PPWR, which should further help in the correct segregation and easier post-consumer treatment of plastic waste.
The recent publication of the Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy outlining our plans to accelerate Ireland's transition from a linear 'take-make-waste' model to a circular, sustainable economy. The Strategy includes a commitment to implement the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, aiming for a 5% packaging waste reduction by 2030 and 90% plastic bottle collection by 2029.
The revised EU Waste Framework Directive which entered into force in October 2025 requires the establishment of an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textiles by April 2028. This will support efficient textile collection, sorting, reuse and recycling. The National Policy Statement and Roadmap on Circular Textiles 2026-2028 which was published in April includes a number of measures to reduce textile waste.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has become one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide. WEEE Ireland and ERP Ireland are the compliance schemes with responsibility for the environmental sound management of WEEE and batteries. Recycling by consumers of these waste streams for free is facilitated by the schemes via authorised collection points, including civil amenity sites and retail outlets. The vast majority of WEEE collected in Ireland is processed in Ireland. Waste batteries are collected and sorted at a dedicated sorting plant in Ireland where they are then shipped to appropriate specialist recycling facilities in Europe.
In keeping with the polluter pays principle, Extended Producer Responsibility schemes have a key role in meeting national collection and recycling targets and also in supporting investment to ensure that as much as possible can be recycled and recovered domestically. Repak are working with industry to maximise the recycling of all types of plastic packaging here.
In addition, changes in the recently revised Waste Shipment Regulation will ensure a more level playing field in the plastic recycling market for EU operators. After 21 May 2029, plastic packaging waste can be exported for recycling to non-OECD countries only if those countries have proven to the European Commission that they can manage such waste to an environmental standard equivalent to EU recyclers.
