Summary: Countries across the globe are seeking policy tools to help stimulate and accelerate a circular economy. One of the most successful policy interventions to facilitate this change can be a fiscal measure. Taxes or levies can be used to discourage one form of behaviour or activity and incentivise another more positive one. The Irish Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (WAPCE), published in 2020, proposed a Waste Recovery Levy of €5 per tonne (with potential for escalation) for recovery operations carried out at Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfills, Waste to Energy Plants and Co-incinerators Plants and on exports of MSW. This study examines what similar taxes/levies have been applied by other EU Member States and whether there is evidence of these similar fiscal measures supporting the objectives of the proposed Waste Recovery Levy.
