Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)

The Connacht waste management plan was adopted by the managers in the region. Connacht may not have needed to adopt it because the consultants' proposed solution to the region's waste problem was for an incinerator in Galway city and a landfill site in Galway county. It was easy for Sligo, Roscommon, Mayo and Leitrim to vote and support that. Why would they not do so.

Each local authority and county should be responsible for the disposal of its own waste. That would be a greater encouragement to people to reuse, recycle and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. I was a member of Galway City Council for a number of years and of Galway County Council. I am proud of my record on Galway City Council which has achieved a 60% reduction in what goes to landfill. It achieved this because the people were willing to do it.

Towards the end of the Minister's speech, he appeared to take credit and implied the Government was responsible for people reducing waste. The Government had nothing to do with it. It was local authorities that did it.

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