Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

That is Deputy Collins's opinion. I am telling her what I am doing. I do not intend to make that recommendation to the Government.

People have several opportunities to have their waste collected. Some people choose not to pay or not to have it collected. Such people are open to challenge under the waste collection legislation. Fewer than 18,000 people have refused to sign up to having their waste collected in the Dublin City Council area. There have always been 10,000 or 12,000 people who have refused to pay for anything. These are the people who brought the viability of Dublin City Council's scheme into question. It is not only Greyhound which can collect waste. Other service providers can also do so and there is a good civic amenity recycling centre not far from many of the residents affected by Greyhound's collection service.

I do not subscribe to Deputy Collins's view that we should nationalise the household waste collection system. It is a considerable cost to local authorities. There is an incentive for many people if they have difficulty with paying to recycle and use an alternative means of disposing of their waste.

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