Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I was elected to Dublin City Council as a councillor in 2004, as part of the anti-bin charges campaign. At the time I remember that the polluter pays aspect was a strong argument made to bring in charges and change the waste collection services. To me, the polluter pays principle means that the polluter pays, and not when you recycle green bins, brown bins, or you bring your stuff to the recycling centres and so on. It comes back to an urgent need for this committee to take on board what is being asked, and put forward a proposal to set up a task force to look at this whole area of how deep the EU economic activity order is around waste collection, public health, climate need, illegal dumping, the European directive on the circular economy, wages and workers' conditions. That has to be taken on board. I am asking the Chair to take on board the appeal to set up a task force to look at these areas, because serious concerns have been raised at this meeting.