Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 October 2024
69. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the additional measures, if any, that will be introduced to deal with littering problems throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41389/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Litter Pollution Act, 1997, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to litter pollution lies with local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate public awareness, enforcement, and clean-up actions in relation to litter taking account of local circumstances and priorities.
My Department provides financial support to local authority efforts to tackle litter through the Anti-Litter & Anti-Graffiti Awareness Grant Scheme. €750,000 was provided under this Scheme in 2023 with a similar amount expected to be made available in 2024.
Funding is also provided annually in support of a number of important anti-litter initiatives such as the National Spring Clean, Picker Pals, the PURE Project and Irish Business against Litter (IBAL).
In addition, in February of this this year, I launched the Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium beverage containers. While the DRS is intended primarily as a circular economy initiative to drive the separate collection of these materials to support increased levels of recycling, the DRS is also an anti-littering initiative. Early indications, including through the most recent IBAL surveys, are that the DRS is proving very effective in this regard.
