Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Minister of State's presence. It is very important that he should be here. It is great that we have a Minister to go through the issue.

He just explained to us how it actually operates, and we are very much aware of that. Basically, the producer and the farmer are probably the same person. The farmer buys the plastic, and the farmer also has to take it to the recycling depot. Therefore, the farmer is paying both ways for it. We need to get clarity that the farmer is the end user who is paying for it both times.

Can I get an indication regarding the Department's involvement in how much plastic is out there? The Department licensed this entity and put it in charge of the actual recycling side of it. We have the collection side of it about which the Minister of State spoke. I will ask about the recycling side of it. The Minister of State used the word "recycling". My question is clear. How many tonnes of plastic is in the ownership of this organisation, which is licensed by the Department to recycle it? How many tonnes have not been recycled?