Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

Significant progress has been made in recent years in providing systems and facilities for the collection and recycling of waste. Households served with segregated collection of dry recyclables can recycle their old newspapers by depositing them in their recyclables wheelie bin. This service is being progressively rolled out, with over 560,000 households nationally — approximately 42% of all households in the State — already in receipt of such service.

EU Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste requires member states to achieve specified targets for the reduction of biodegradable waste consigned to landfill. A draft national biodegradable waste strategy setting out a range of integrated measures aimed at providing an effective basis for the achievement of the directive targets was published last year. The final strategy, which I hope to publish shortly, will include ambitious targets for the recycling of biodegradable waste, including newsprint. Further progress will be required in expanding the recycling infrastructure to meet these targets.

Discussions are ongoing between my Department and the newsprint industry with a view to developing a producer responsibility initiative for the recovery and recycling of newspapers and magazines. I am concerned that such an initiative should deal fully with all newspapers and magazines, irrespective of the manner in which they are marketed. I am also concerned that the proliferation of hand-outs such as freesheets and promotional leaflets should have regard to the implications for waste prevention and litter pollution.

The general point being made by Deputies Cuffe and Gogarty is that there has been a horrific proliferation of litter in and around the Luas and DART, and I agree with that. What has occurred recently is irresponsible, and I know the conventional newspaper industry shares my views on this. There is concern about what is happening. There were complaints from staff at Westland Row that the new free-sheets were blocking up litter bins and were deposited all over the road. Luas and Dublin Bus also made complaints in this regard. Producer responsibility is necessary from those distributing the free-sheets.

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