John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I agree the litter problem is something that needs to be addressed. The Deputy may be aware that we increased the fines already. I am liaising with Irish Business Against Litter, which has done fantastic work. It has asked for a number of changes to be made and I am considering them.

In the context of the new international review that we are conducting on waste management, we are examining the issue of deposit schemes and how they can be used. A number of innovative proposals have been made in regard to litter, especially cans and bottles, which have real merit. I refer in particular to vending machines, which encourage young people especially to bring back bottles and cans. That has been shown to be most effective not just in regard to recycling, but more particularly in dealing with the litter problem.

On the question of the green bins and brown bins, the latter are vitally important because we must meet our targets.

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