Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I am glad that progress has been made in dealing with packaging waste but problems remain. The angle from which I approach the issue is my concern about waste in public areas such as football pitches, where broken glass can cause problems for players. It is appalling that people who give up their time to train soccer teams must carefully walk the pitch before a match starts to clear it of glass. I would welcome any initiative that tries to put an end to that problem.

I do not dispute the impressive figures on waste reduction but I urge the Minister of State and the Minister to consider a refund system that would encourage people to recycle glass and plastic bottles. It could become an effective means of reusing material. People are more open to this idea than they were during the boom years of the Celtic tiger, when they did not care about small amounts of money. I acknowledge that the Minister of State is prepared to take account of my suggestions in the review and I would like them to be part of the mix.

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