Ms Mindy O'Brien:

I am all in favour of banning the plastic containers. The authorities in New York and California have also banned polystyrene. It has been completely banned there.

Reference was made to the portion of the cost of a cup of coffee. What Deputy Brophy said was right in that 15 cent on a €3 coffee is far less than 15 cent on a €1 coffee. However, the 15 cent levy on plastic bags never varied. It was always the same and people did change their behaviour. The idea is to change behaviour. People would have the choice to bring their own cup. I have no wish to discriminate against anyone on the basis of income bracket. People can bring reusable cups.

Illegal dumping is a major scourge in this country. It is horrible. I know there was a "Prime Time" programme on the problem. The question is whether we should charge for waste. If we do not charge for waste, then there is no incentive to reduce the amount of waste we are dumping. There is no incentive to recycle and no incentive to take out compostable matter. Right now, if a person puts everything into one container, it will simply be burned or put in landfill. Organic matter is the biggest polluter of CO2. In fact, the real problem is methane, which is 25 times more potent than CO2.

It is a tough situation. We need more enforcement in respect of fly tippers. We also need to encourage people who are clearing out houses. Some will get the man with the van who charges €50 to remove things. We know he will not put it into a licensed facility and that he will dump it in the Wicklow hills. When people clear out a house, they need to ensure the people providing the service are licensed waste collectors. It is a whole education process.