International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

materials might not have been deemed to render the levy unsuccessful if those
materials are less problematic in, or less likely to find their into, the litter stream.
27.3 When was the Policy Introduced?
The plastic bag levy was introduced on the 4 th March 2002.
27.4 Key Organisations Involved in Implementation and
Management
The key organisations involved in implementation of the plastic bag levy are:
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� Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG);
� Local Authorities who are in charge of enforcement;
� The Controller and Auditor General; and
� Retailers.
A Service Level Agreement between the Revenue Commissioners and the DoEHLG
provides that the Revenue Commissioners have responsibility in relation to collection
of the levy and for ensuring that businesses are aware of their obligations in relation
to making returns. This includes carrying out checks/audits on retailers, and other
related activities.
27.5 Monitoring and Measurement Techniques Applied
The key instruments for measurement of the impact of the levy include the sales data
kept by the Revenue Commissioners, and industry data on sales of plastic bags.
Table 27-1 details the Environment Fund Income generated from the plastic bags levy
since its introduction in 2002. The income from the levy increased steadily from
2002 to 2007. The introduction of the plastic bag levy in 2002 had an immediate
effect on consumer behaviour – with plastic bag per capita usage decreasing from an
estimated 328 bags to 21 plastic bags per capita per annum. However, the results of
the 2006 census indicated that plastic bag usage had risen to 31 bags per capita
over the course of 2006. Consequently the levy was increased to 22 cents on 1 st July
2007. 572
Table 27-1: Plastic Bag Levy Income 2002 - 2007
Plastic Plastic
Plastic
Bag Bag
Bag
Levy
Levy
29/09/09
2002* 2002* 2003 2003 2004 2004 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2007
2007
€10,428,413 €12,883,408 €15,278,107 €17,484,551 €19,947,315 €22,577,535
*Accounts for the period from the period from 17 th July 2001 to 31 st December 2002
Source: Environment Fund Accounts from 2002 to 2007
572 Press Release, 21/02/07 by the DoEHLG, “Plastic Bags Levy to be increased to 22c from the 1st of
July”.