105. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he has considered the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's recommendation to establish an independent economic regulator for the household waste collection sector & whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of this proposal. [66955/26]

106. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether he has examined the merits of moving from the current side-by-side household waste collection model to a competitive tendering model whereby operators compete for service areas rather than individual households; and whether international models have been assessed. [66957/26]

107. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the engagement his Department has had with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission since 2018 regarding proposed regulatory reforms to the household waste collection sector. [66958/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 105, 106 and 107 together.

Waste management is a statutory executive function of individual local authorities. Under the Waste Management Act, responsibility for the permitting and regulation of waste collection activities rests with the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO), while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responsibility for enforcement and oversight in relation to waste facilities and broader environmental compliance.

Private waste collectors operate under waste collection permits issued by the NWCPO. These permits include requirements designed to promote waste segregation, including charging structures that incentivise the use of recycling and organic waste bins over residual waste bins. The terms and conditions of individual waste collection contracts are matters for waste collectors and their customers, subject to compliance with permit conditions. All such permits can be viewed in full on nwcpo.ie.

Under section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act, the Minister is precluded from exercising any power or control, in particular circumstances, over the statutory functions of a local authority.

In 2024, the Department commissioned an independent review of the household waste collection market. The study examined the operation of the current market structure, the effectiveness of existing regulatory and enforcement arrangements in supporting national recycling objectives, and the feasibility, benefits and risks associated with a transition from the current competitive licensing system to a franchise tendering system. A franchise tendering system involves competitive tendering for local waste collection services. In this model, private sector collection firms bid to provide waste collection services in an entire local authority area (or a grouping of local authority areas) for a given period of time and to a guaranteed level of service.

The study included a public consultation, assessment of the current market, environmental and economic modelling and an international review. It was informed by engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, including the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).

The study has concluded and its findings and recommendations are under consideration by the Department and will inform the development of the next iteration of the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy which will include measures to support effective service delivery, strong environmental outcomes and the achievement of Ireland's circular economy and recycling objectives.

Any future policy decisions relating to waste collection arrangements or regulatory structures will be considered in accordance with the relevant legislative framework and in light of the study's findings. It should be noted that under the Waste Management Act the statutory responsibility for decisions on waste collection arrangements, including any move towards franchise tendering, rests with the Chief Executive of each local authority.