Climate Action Plan 2019
Repak Members will be impacted by and have a range of obligations under the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment Climate Action Plan 2019, which was published in June 2019.
These obligations are outlined in the section ‘Waste and the Circular Economy’, Actions 135 to 144, as summarised below, and include new legislation and policies on waste management, prevention, eco-design, recycling targets, enforcement and environmental levies.
Lead the transformation from waste management to circular economy practice through delivery of a new national policy
Revise waste legislation to incorporate new circular economy requirements, including legally binding waste/recycling targets
Develop a new National Waste Prevention Programme, and Regional Waste Management Plans that will guide our transition to a circular economy by EPA and Local Authorities.
Support the development of eco-design and circular economy opportunities for Irish enterprises to reduce waste over the full lifecycle of products
Develop and implement a suite of measures to reduce the impact of single-use plastics.
Maintain Government leadership in taking responsibility for own resource consumption, particularly single use plastics, energy, waste and water.
Identify opportunities to strengthen the regulatory and enforcement frameworks and structures for the waste collection and management system, to maximise the collection of clean, segregated materials for reuse and/or recycling from all households and businesses, and to incentivise consumers to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Regulate and incentivise producers of waste, particularly packaging, to ensure the prevention of waste and the use of recycled materials in packaging products.
Scope a number of possible environmental levies, including a possible levy on single use plastics, as part of the review of the Environment Fund.
Identify and commence delivery of measures to address the key regulatory barriers to the development of the bio economy, including exploring opportunities to establish “End of Waste” criteria for certain bio-wastes.
