I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 to 33, inclusive, together.
The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, published in September 2020, contains some 200 measures which will be delivered on a phased basis over the 5-year lifetime of the plan, including a number of measures which specifically address the need to empower households and businesses through better consumer protection, including;
• Expanding the role of the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) to become a collection market oversight body;
• Expanding the role of the Price Monitoring Group (PMG) to monitor more of the market and examine whether fair and transparent pricing is consistent in the market and how it is disclosed to customers;
• Reviewing existing incentivised charging systems with a view to standardising these systems and ensuring that they incentivise waste prevention and recycling; and
• Householders and businesses will be facilitated to easily access their waste data and pricing plan to allow for comparison with other collectors.
My Department is currently working with the NWCPO to carry out a study on incentivised charging structures in the waste collection market. This study will examine what, if any, improvements are needed to ensure that waste collection systems are fully incentivising waste prevention and improved source segregation practices.
In addition, given the the significant market reforms due to be delivered this year, including the introduction of incentivised waste collection charging in the commercial sector, the introduction of a "recovery levy" and the nationwide expansion of kerbside bio-waste collections, I have instructed my officials to reinstitute the Price Monitoring Group. My Department will shortly issue requests for tenders for the role of Chair and for a market monitoring company to gather data on the market.
The results of the above study, and reports of the PMG, will be subjected to a detailed examination by my officials as part of the ongoing process of successfully delivering on the remaining relevant measures in the WAPCE .