Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

In one of my first contributions in the Dáil, I asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to investigate the possibility of banning the sale of drinks in glass containers from off-licences. The Minister, Deputy Hogan, agreed to consider the suggestion. Unfortunately, he discovered that an EU directive prevented him from implementing it. I am now approaching the problem from a different direction.

Would it be possible to introduce a system - in the case of glass, reintroduce a system - of providing refunds? If people bought bottles of beer, they could return them once they were empty and receive refunds. In some countries on the Continent, for example, Germany, the practice is to return plastic bottles. The plastic used there is much stronger than the type we use, making it possible to clean and reuse them without breaking them down. It should be possible to do the same in Ireland. Would it be possible to provide refunds in respect of aluminium cans? Doing so might be more problematic, but I would be interested in the Minister of State's response.

I am not trying to pretend that this would be the entire solution to our litter problem. In these difficult economic times, however, it would encourage people who discard these receptacles in public places not to do so. It would also encourage people to collect receptacles. Perhaps this is just a straw in the wind. I was asked to raise the issue a couple of weeks ago by the local Clondalkin Tidy Towns committee. In Clondalkin and the neighbouring areas of Palmerstown and Lucan, there are growing numbers of groups that are trying to set up tidy district committees with some considerable success. There is a long tradition of this in rural areas and villages, but it is more difficult to organise in a city. A measure along the lines of what I have proposed would help the committees. People would become less likely to discard their rubbish and, if they did, others who collected it would receive payment. I thank everyone who gets involved in tidy district initiatives in such a selfless way.

My suggestion would have a number of advantages for my community and the country generally. It would help to tidy up the country and would constitute a green move, in that glass, plastic and aluminium could be more effectively recycled. It would help to boost tourism, given the fact that litter and dirt are the most persistent causes of complaints among tourists. Life would be much easier for sports people and everyone who uses open public areas.

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