Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

I welcome this Bill and all that it aims to achieve. I note the proposal in the Bill to subject the non-disclosure provisions of section 16 of the 1987 Act to the Freedom of Information Act. This is welcome and overdue. I also note that the positive provisions on the plastic bag levy. This is something of which we in this country can be proud. In a small way, it underlines our environmental credentials.

Quite often when discussing waste management we find ourselves locked in something of a false debate. People tend to try to choose one option over another. They will push mechanical and biological treatment, for example, over incineration. It is natural to want to take sides but it is a false debate because when it comes to waste management, it is never about one solution. It is never about picking A over B or C, but about using those options together as wisely as we must. We have a matrix of waste management options, from incineration without recovery to incineration with recovery, to more simple solutions such as using less packaging at the point of production. It is up to us to use those options as best we can as a country to tackle our waste problems.

Some options are better than others and some are more environmentally friendly, are more efficient or are of greater benefit to the economy. There is a waste hierarchy, as set out by the European Commission in the waste framework directive. It is there to guide our policies at the national level so that when we come to making these decisions we try to move from that lower tier with the less desirable forms of waste management solutions to the upper tier which are more positive for the country and for achieving sustainability in how we do our business.

We will never fully move away from the lower tier in the waste management hierarchy but we can minimise our dependence on it. The Bill seeks to address that question, primarily by increasing the levy on landfill. Landfill is a waste management practice of the past and we have to confine it to the past. Increasing the levies on landfill will use market forces to put an end to the practice by making other forms of waste management more attractive. We can do this with other initiatives, such as social media, advertising or projects in the classroom, but at the end of the day market forces will dictate how we manage our waste. By increasing the levies on landfills we will move in the right direction.

I am not opposed to incineration with energy recovery as an element in our waste management matrix. It is necessary and much needed if we are to address our international commitments on moving away from landfill. However, there is no point in moving from a dependence on one form of waste management to another. That is what would ensue if we increase levies on landfill in the absence of levies on incineration, to the detriment of our waste management strategy and more beneficial processes further up the hierarchy. This Bill provides for the possibility of levies on incineration but it does not introduce them. The explanatory memorandum to the Bill clearly stated that if we do not impose levies on incineration we will draw waste down the waste hierarchy to the lower levels which are less suitable for this country and its environment. I urge the Minister to impose levies on incineration at the earliest opportunity once the Bill is introduced.

I represent a constituency, Dublin South-East, in respect of which controversy has arisen over proposals to construct an incinerator on the Poolbeg Peninsula. However, I am not supporting the introduction of levies on incineration in the hope of undermining the proposed incinerator for Poolbeg by dissuading the contractors from proceeding with their project for financial reasons. Others have attempted to do that in this Chamber in the recent past but I believe such behaviour is irresponsible. One does not make national decisions based on local or electoral considerations.

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