Plastics producers should be reimbursing local councils in Ireland for the cost of cleaning up pollution, the European Commission says.
The EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive, is supposed to “prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.”
But the European Commission has announced that it believes Ireland has not fully applied the law.
“Irish authorities have not transposed the requirement for ensuring that litter clean-up costs from public authorities are covered by producers.”
That means local council cannot claw back the cost of clearing up plastic waste.
In Finland, where the law has been fully applied, council have to calculate how much rubbish they have cleaned up each year.
Plastic producers must then compensate municipalities at the rate of €4.79 per resident.
The system requires a lot of paperwork. But the idea is to discourage plastic use and encourage recycling.
The directive also demands that producers of single-use plastics pay for “awareness-raising initiatives”.
But Ireland has also failed to put this into law, according to the European Commission.
Now the EU is demanding the Irish government gets its house in order by bringing “national legislation in line with the Single Use Plastics Directive.”
“Furthermore, the Irish law [currently] lacks measures specified for achieving a quantifiable reduction in single-use plastics in 2026 and for ensuring separate collection for recycling certain single-use plastics.
Lastly, Ireland has failed to establish deadlines for extended producer responsibility schemes for some single-use plastic products.
The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Ireland, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.”
A reasoned opinion is a final warning before a case is taken against Ireland at the European Court of Justice.
Responding to the European Commission’s threat, a spokesperson of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment said:
“Ireland received a letter of formal notice from the European Commission on the 29 April 2026, regarding the transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/904, the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD).
Ireland has and will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission on all infringement matters and works closely with relevant authorities to ensure compliance with EU obligations.”
The directive applies to the following types of plastics:
- Cotton bud sticks
- Cutlery, plates, straws and stirrers
- Balloons and sticks for balloons
- Food containers
- Cups for beverages
- Beverage containers
- Cigarette butts
- Plastic bags
- Packets and wrappers
- Wet wipes and sanitary items