Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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We have resumed in public session. Our first witness is not yet online so while we are waiting, I will give an update on my visit to the Littleton recycling plant on Monday. Members have an open invitation to visit. It will facilitate everyone, but because it is operating a Covid pod, it can only facilitate one person at a time. There was a misunderstanding about that over the weekend and I apologise for that. If any member of the committee wants to go there himself or herself to see the recycling plant at first hand, he or she will be accommodated and arrangements can be made.

The plant is up and working. It is handling farm waste plastic. It is dealing with about 3.5 tonnes an hour and the end product is in the form of pelleted plastic which is being used to make recyclable plastic bags. There is another plant to be built on site at the back end of the year which will take the plastic at a different stage of processing and will be used to make wax which can then be reused in the remaking of film plastic. They reckon they will be able to process 25,000 tonnes of plastic there, building to 45,000 over the next 12 to 18 months. They will be looking for more than farm plastic, but also other plastic used by other industries, such as meat plants. There will be a fairly significant appetite for plastic into the plant. I saw the whole process where the water was squeezed out of the plastic and that water was filtered and recycled. The dirt is used for top fill on landfill, taken away by AES. I consider the plant to be working well. An industrial loader loads the plastic into a big hopper. They have a problem with foreign objects in the plastic and they hope to improve the sensors to stop that. They found a bit of a front loader had gone in with plastic shortly before I arrived and it had damaged part of the machinery. The line is up and running efficiently and it is hoped in time it will be a home-grown solution to our farm plastics problem.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Chair for the update. There was a fair bit of confusion because some of us might not look at emails but the Chair is as good a person to look at it as any. Did he discuss the price per tonne? Can he repeat the tonnage they said they would be able to get through.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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They expect to be able to do 25,000 tonnes at the moment and they expect that to increase to 45,000 in time. They intend to put in another line along with the line they already have. They expect it to increase. They are doing 3.5 tonnes per hour and intend to go on a 24-5 shift very quickly and then go on 24-7 shift work. They have plans to employ more people there.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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How much a tonne?

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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They are charging a €38 gate fee.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Have they a contract with anyone or will they take it from anybody?

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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I was told they have a relationship with Irish Farm Films Producers Group, IFFPG, but they are open to taking plastic from any individuals.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Littleton charges €38 per tonne?

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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It is €38 per tonne gate fee, yes.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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That seems very cheap considering the price at bring centres. The IFFPG charge is €50 and then there is a €100 for on farm collection. Am I correct on that?

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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You have to bring it somewhere. The likes of bring centres have to be able to bring it somewhere afterwards, with transport and so on. The Deputy is asking an interesting question.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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I do not know if they take it from individuals. I would say that they have to have a contract with an assembler of plastic. I would not say they would be in the business of taking a tractor load of plastic off an individual. I would say you would have to be supplying a certain amount of tonnage to them. You would have the problem of collecting the plastic and delivering it to them.

They are charging €38 per tonne to take in the plastic. In terms of the economics, I am sure there is a question going through your minds. This must be a good money earner. I will be putting that question to the Irish Farm Films Producers Group. There is a levy on the plastic at the point of purchase and a collection fee is being charged as well. The cost for it to be taken to an assembly point for collection is €50 per tonne.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Chairman mentioned 3.5 tonnes. Is that the tonnage per hour?

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I noted in the Department's opening statement a reference to the Littleton plant taking in 523 tonnes. I presumed that was per annum.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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New machinery has been installed. The old machinery was not satisfactory and it has been replaced with a new line. When I was there yesterday, I noted a significant amount of plastic going through. That is the figure I was given yesterday. I can only tell Deputy Carthy what I was told.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I am not disputing that. I asked the question only for the purposes of follow-up questions. According to the table-----

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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They told me that they can currently process 3.5 tonnes per hour.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The 2020 figures indicate that the Walker Recycling Services Limited, with which we will engage later, was, by far, the most substantial collector of 18,500 tonnes of-----

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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The Walker plant only bales the plastic, it does not process it. The Littleton plant processes it to a pelleted form ready for reuse. My understanding is that Walker Recycling Services Limited only bale - or trammel as they call it - the plastic. That is a different process.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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That facility is potentially no longer going to be there, which leaves many tonnes of recycling waste that has to go somewhere. I am trying to ascertain the capacity of the sector to deal with it.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The Chairman mentioned that a piece of the front loader had gone through and caused damage. I take it they are taking in the plastic in the condition it leaves the farmyard and that it does not have to be trammelled and so on before it gets to them.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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It would have to be baled.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I understand it would have to baled, but does it have to be trammelled and so on?

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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No. During my visit, I saw a heap of farm plastic on the ground being thrown by the bucket load into a big hopper where the water was squeezed out of it. It was not the nicest operation in the world to watch, but then farm plastic is not the nicest thing to be dealing with anyway.