James Breen (Clare, Independent)

Waste management is one of the most important issues facing the country. Ordinary householders have wrongly faced the double taxation of paying more than their fair share of income tax through the PAYE system and then paying further levies for the disposal of their household waste. Not content with forcing these unfair charges on ordinary citizens, they are then told they should do the extra work of sorting their waste before disposing of it. The irony is that people have been very quick to embrace that role and do what they can to help protect the environment while this Government has dragged its heels in formulating, implementing and enforcing a progressive waste management policy.

A welcome feature in modern Ireland has been the introduction of recycling centres throughout the country, but the recent attempts to charge users of such facilities are scandalous. The people who sort their rubbish before transporting it to such centres should be rewarded, not penalised. If a system were introduced whereby frequent users of recycling centres are rewarded by receiving a discount on their domestic refuse charges through a card system similar to those used in supermarkets, we might see a major increase in the use of recycling centres.

The amount of waste generated by junk mail and newspaper supplements must be addressed as well, and not at the expense of the consumer. A tax should be put on those who wish to do a mail-drop. Similarly, newspaper companies who insert free books or DVDs, which invariably are wrapped in plastic and usually end up being dumped, should be taxed.

The Minister, Deputy Roche, ran scared when a tax on chewing gum was mooted. Such a tax should be introduced immediately as the state of pavements throughout the country due to discarded chewing gum is disgraceful.

The country has seen a dramatic increase in roadside dumping. One refuse bag quickly becomes a mini-dump as people go to any lengths to avoid paying disposal charges. There is also a rising trend of householders burning domestic rubbish in their fireplaces in another effort to avoid paying refuse charges. Local authorities must act quickly to eliminate such actions and introduce measures to continually encourage recycling and proper disposals.

As other speakers mentioned, the question of landfills must be urgently addressed. Too often, landfills open with various guarantees given by local authorities only to be followed by poor management and little control. In my county, Clare County Council opened a new landfill site in September 2002, but already the county council is facing possible legal proceedings by the Environmental Protection Agency if it does not improve the operation of the site. Notice has been served on Clare County Council for operating outside the terms of its waste management licence. The main concerns of the EPA include the lack of adequate surface water control at the site. As well as this, the landfill liner membrane is not adequate, resulting in leaking from the dump.

If a local farmer continued to be in breach of the EPA guidelines and compliance notice, he or she would be before the courts in double quick time, but the same rules do not appear to apply to Clare County Council. If anything, they should be more strictly enforced. County Clare attracts a large number of tourists annually but we can be sure that no one will ever be asked for directions to this dump as the odour emanating from the landfill can be smelled some distance away.

See this speech in context