John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I thought I had given much clarity on this issue earlier when I responded to Deputy Joanna Tuffy. I outlined exactly the percentages relating to the export of recyclates. Paper and cardboard is exported. There is a difficulty with the price received for these particular products because it has decreased due to the collapse of the market in China and elsewhere. We have examined the increasing market in India as well. As India may soon overshadow China economically, we have examined the option of it being our main export market.

This collapse has had an immediate impact on the recycling industry. Smaller recycling companies will feel the lack of cash flow much more than the larger ones, particularly if their entire business model is based on recyclates. There are also costs in storing these materials. Any lack of storage facilities with sufficient capacity and quality may lead to a deterioration of the product.

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