Written answer
Waste Management
Ireland’s tyre EPR scheme already operates; the Department is considering extending charges to all tyre categories, with a decision expected by year-end.
233. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if extended producer responsibility scheme for tyres under the Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2017 will go ahead in 2026. [67746/26]
Comment on this
An extended producer responsibility scheme for tyres is already in place in Ireland under the Waste Management (Tyres and Waste Tyres) Regulations 2017.
Under this scheme, the environmentally sound management of tyres for waste passenger car, 4x4, van, and motorcycle is funded by a visible environmental management cost (vEMC) which is applied to those tyres at point of sale. CircolELT, the approved producer responsibility organisation for tyres, is responsible for ensuring the appropriate management of those tyres when they become waste.
Agricultural, truck/bus, construction and industrial tyres are within the regulatory framework but do not currently incur a vEMC. Current charges are set out in the Eighth Schedule of the 2017 Regulations.
The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020 includes a commitment to extend the charging arrangements to all categories of tyres provided for in the Eighth Schedule of the Tyres Regulations. The Department is therefore considering an expansion of the existing arrangements rather than the introduction of a new scheme.
The Department continues to consider the implications of such an extension of the scheme for relevant stakeholders, following extensive consultation and engagement with CircolELT. It is expected that a decision on the proposed extension will be made by the end of the year.