Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I do not know if the Deputy has read the programme for Government, but it contains significant commitments to reduce the waste crisis. It signals a new approach. The programme states there will be no guaranteed waste stream for incinerators and that there will be a new emphasis on mechanical biological treatment. This is welcome and means that biological waste will be diverted from landfill by being converted into useful products such as biogas, compost, fertiliser and soil conditioner.

Not only is the Fine Gael motion hypocritical, it is also cowardly. Fine Gael knows it can hit the Minister but the Minister cannot hit back because he is precluded from doing so.

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