From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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Minister of State at the Environment, Climate and Communications, with responsibility for Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth, has announced the publication of the 2023 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System (NLPMS) results. These results provide important statistical data on the extent, causes and composition of litter in Ireland, enabling local authorities to manage litter pollution in a systematic and structured manner.
In announcing the publication of the 2023 results, Minister Smyth acknowledged the important role being played by both local authorities and local communities in tackling Ireland’s litter challenges.
Minister Smyth said:
"While I am pleased to see a decrease in the percentage of moderately polluted areas, I am concerned with the decrease in unpolluted areas and the increase in significantly and grossly polluted areas. These are not trends I wish to see continue and it should serve as a reminder to us all that we need to continue to work hard to ensure we continue our progress to date in combatting litter pollution.
"The recently published results of the Irish Business Against Litter [IBAL] surveys show positive trends on plastic bottles and cans, with a 30% decrease in the number of drinks cans discarded, and a 20% decrease in the number of plastic bottles on our streets. Given that the DRS [Deposit Return Scheme] was still in the transition phase during the IBAL surveys, I would expect to see further dramatic drops in these items ending up as litter being reflected in the 2024 NLPMS results."
He continued:
"Cigarette-related litter continues to be by far the greatest contributor to overall litter. However, it decreased by 6.5% from the 2022 level – to 45.6%. A Tobacco Product Plastic Filter Group has been established. It is an Extended Responsibility Scheme for importers and producers who place tobacco filters containing plastic on the market in Ireland. This will help pay for the cost of cleaning up and related infrastructure, as well as awareness raising.
"The results published today highlight various areas that pose a challenge to combatting litter prevention in Ireland. I am determined to tackle this issue and my officials are currently examining the best way to achieve this."
Cigarette-related litter continues to be the largest single category of litter pollution in the locations surveyed.
This is being tackled under one of the requirements of the Single Use Plastics Directive, which was adopted in 2019 and transposed into national law under the Single Use Plastics Regulations 2021. The aim of the Directive is to prevent and reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the environment, to be achieved through a framework of measures which includes market restrictions, product and labelling requirements, awareness raising and the introduction of new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.
The EPR scheme for cigarette filter products containing plastic has been established (see the Tobacco Product Plastic Filter Group website. ) It requires importers and producers who place tobacco filters containing plastic on the Irish market to become members and contribute towards costs related to litter clean-up and awareness-raising. Revenue raised will be ring fenced to contribute to measures on litter prevention and clean up.
Government policy is moving towards achieving a 'circular economy'. We cannot continue to make, use and throw away. By moving to a circular economy, we can reduce material use and waste.
The introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles and aluminium cans since 1 February forms a key part of this. It is reducing litter and combating the impact of single-use plastics on the environment. It is estimated that 5 million single-use drinks bottles and cans are consumed every day in Ireland. Since the DRS was introduced at the start of February, almost 270 million containers have been returned and €47 million in deposits have been refunded to consumers. Average daily return rates now regularly exceed 3 million bottles and cans; this will continue to grow, now that the 'transition period' has ended. We now know that the DRS is an effective litter prevention measure. It provides consumers with a financial incentive – a refundable deposit – to return empty bottles or cans. Even passers-by have an incentive to pick-up bottles or cans thrown away as litter – to claim the deposit.
Other Extended Producer Responsibility schemes will be established for single-use items – such as wet wipes, balloons, and fishing gear containing plastic, in addition to the existing schemes for tobacco filters and packaging.
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications continues to promote and support a number of impactful environmental awareness-raising programmes, including the: Green Schools Programme aimed at educating young people; the PURE programme run by Wicklow County Council; and anti-litter and anti-graffiti grants schemes for local communities operated by local authorities. In addition, the department continues to support the work of local groups through An Taisce's National Spring Clean.
ENDS
Tobin Consulting Engineers were appointed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to function as the Litter Monitoring Body (LMB) for the period 1 July 2023 to 1 April 2025 following a tender competition, to continue the development of the National Litter Pollution Monitoring System (NLPMS) which was established in 1999 and to co-ordinate local authority implementation of same. The NLPMS generates, by means of local authority surveys (over 5,000 in 2023), reliable data to enable each local authority to measure, accurately over time, changes in the extent and composition of litter pollution in their functional areas, thus enabling more effective litter management planning.
The system requires local authorities to:
The LMB, on receipt of the survey data from local authorities:
There are two types of surveys conducted by local authorities:
The litter quantification surveys identify fifteen categories of litter:
The initial series of surveys conducted in 2000/2001 allowed local authorities to establish ‘benchmark’ assessments of the extent and composition of litter pollution in their functional areas, while the comparison of annual survey results with these benchmark surveys has allowed progress to be measured since then. The analysis of survey data enables local authorities to assess the effectiveness of their litter management strategies on an ongoing basis.
The data produced through the NLPMS surveys enables local authorities to identify:
The National Litter Pollution Monitoring System is an environmental management tool that enables local authorities to tackle litter more effectively, by providing a framework for consistent and accurate self-assessment.