The Irish Plant Contractors Association (IPCA) has called for a further delay to a levy on construction and demolition waste due to take effect on 1 September.
The group says the levy of €10 a tonne could double the cost of removing stone and soil waste from building sites.
Chief Executive of the Irish Plant Contractors Association Brian Coogan told RTÉ’s News at One that while contractors were expecting the levy next year, there had not been sufficient communication from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications on the September date.
“We were told 2 weeks ago,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said building waste accounted for over half of all waste generated in Ireland with just 8% being recycled. This is lower than in other jurisdictions including the UK.
Mr Coogan said the industry was in favour of recycling, but there were only a handful of recovery facilities to handle waste that cannot be reused onsite.
He said the levy could add €5,000 to the price of a new home, and possibly more in Dublin. This would happen as the cost was passed from the contractor to the developer, and ultimately the home buyer.
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However, the department said the EPA had put in place a number of measures to allow for certain building materials to be “treated as a resource rather than a waste.”
It added that “these materials would therefore not be subject to the environmental levies as they would not be deemed a waste.”
“It presents a significant opportunity for Ireland’s transition to a more circular economy and for the construction industry to lower rather than increase the cost of construction,” a spokesperson said.
