CRNI Environmental Levies submission

CRNI’s response to the Public Consultation on the Proposed Introduction of New Environmental Levies broadly supports the proposed measures, which will contribute to supporting reuse and recycling through directly incentivising reusable cups, bags and containers, and also providing a disincentive to recovery and disposal. We also propose that measures are required to properly enforce the existing landfill levy in order to promote recycling.

The introduction or use of environmental levies aligns with the revised Waste Framework Directive Article 4.3 requirement for Member States to “make use of economic instruments … for application of the waste hierarchy”. As noted above, an important barrier to reuse is competition with new products whose cost is not reflective of environmental or social externalities. Levies and other instruments help to create a level cost playing field for these products and encourage behavioural change.

The response can be accessed here.

• December 20, 2019