Public Consultation on the Feasibility of Transitioning Ireland's Waste Collection Market from its Current Side-by-Side Licensing System to a Franchise Tendering System

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is seeking views on the feasibility of transitioning Ireland's municipal waste collection market from its current side-by-side licensing system to a franchise tendering system.

This consultation process covers a range of issues relevant to the Feasibility Study. These include exploring measures to assist us with achieving our current and future EU recycling targets while developing a more resource efficient economy.

Municipal waste is the waste we all produce everyday in our homes, offices, businesses and schools. It includes household and non-household (commercial) waste.

A franchise tendering system involves competitive tendering for local waste collection services (that is, competition for the market). Here, private sector collection firms will 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.

While significant progress has been made in improving Ireland’s waste performance over recent years, municipal waste recycling rates have plateaued in the last decade. Ireland’s recycling rate for municipal waste of 41% in 2023 is below the European average of 49% in 2021. The Waste Framework Directive recycling target will increase to 55% in 2025, 60% in 2030 and 65% in 2035.

Recent policy interventions have included changes to the requirements for waste collection from commercial premises, collection of soft plastics, combined with the introduction of a waste recovery levy and Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and expansion of household bio-waste collections.

Even taking these into account, it will be difficult for Ireland to meet these challenging targets without additional measures.

One issue highlighted relates to the contamination of bins. Recent figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicate that over two thirds of waste in the general household and commercial bins could have been placed in the recycling and organic waste bins. This poor waste segregation practice results in a loss of clean circular materials in the recycling and organics bin, which is hampering the State's efforts to increase recycling rates.

Any failure to meet the desired environmental outcome set by the EU recycling targets will require further actions from government. The aim of these actions will be to create the conditions for householders and businesses to make the right choices in their resource use or consumption and waste segregation.

In addition to these new measures, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has commissioned a comprehensive study to explore the feasibility, potential benefits and risks associated with transitioning our waste collection system from its current competitive licensing system to a franchise tendering system for local authority areas or regions. The aim of any potential transition towards a franchise tendering waste collection model would be to support the achievement of EU recycling targets.

To facilitate a structured response, the questionnaire is organised around thematic areas with a number of questions in each section. You are not required to respond to all sections or questions. Rather, you can choose how to respond. You may choose to respond only to the particular questions or sections relevant to you, or to respond on the issues of concern without addressing the specific questions. All submissions are welcome and will be considered in developing the Feasibility Study.

The Consultation Questionnaire is available for download below.

The closing date for submissions is 5.30pm on Wednesday, 4 June 2025

Submissions can be made by email to CircularEconomyConsultations@decc.gov.ie or by post to:

Waste Collection Market Feasibility Study – Consultation Submission

Circular Economy Strategic Policy Division

Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications

Tom Johnson House,

Haddington Road.

D04 K7X4

We are committed to engaging with stakeholders in a clear, open and transparent manner. Any person or organisation can make a submission in relation to this consultation. We will consider all submissions and feedback before we publish the final version of the Feasibility Study.

Your response to this consultation is subject to:

• the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI)
• the Access to Information on the Environment Regulations 2007-2018 (AIE)
• the Data Protection Act 2018

Publishing of responses

We may publish the contents of any submissions received to our consultations on our website. We will redact (remove) personal data before publication.

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