Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is good we are having this debate about single-use plastics and the throw-away culture in capitalist society. Most people became fully aware of the crisis after seeing David Attenborough's "The Blue Planet" documentary. People were aware of what plastics were doing to the planet. It was utterly depressing when they opened a whale and found over 200 types of plastic in the belly of the animal, which killed it. Anybody watching would be completely depressed and we need to do something about it. One can get very depressed when one thinks about environmental issues. Sometimes one says to oneself that nothing can be done and the results seem inevitable. There is a new movement on the planet and it is well ahead of Governments, particularly this one. It is the plastic pollution revolution. We do not need the vast majority of things we get in the supermarket. I looked at my green bin yesterday. The packaging and stuff that comes with buying things in the supermarket is just not needed. Most of the stuff that goes into the green recycling bin goes over to China. There is no logic to the wastefulness of society. We are having a debate about coffee cups. Every single plastic coffee cup has to be 100% recyclable. In the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, all the cups are 100% recyclable. I think the same is true in Leinster House. They are not in most coffee places. It is unforgivable. Most people are well ahead of that.

I do not know if the Minister alluded to the deposit and return schemes in his speech. There is a fascinating movement going on across the world. Some countries are well ahead and 38 countries have deposit return schemes. In supermarkets, there are machines that take cans, plastic bottles and glass and give people back money or credit in the supermarket. Every supermarket and shop in this country should have one of those. Most people would agree to that. They have them in Norway and Germany. In Holland, they have one plastic that is completely oil-free. It is a great initiative. The Minister might take up my suggestion to call all CEOs of the big supermarket chains in and explain to them that we want to try to roll this out as a scheme in most supermarkets. I know it cannot be done in every shop. I am sure big supermarkets such as Tesco, Dunnes, Lidl and Aldi would be on for the idea of a kiosk that accepts plastic bottles and gives money out.

Another thing I hate, as I am sure anybody who walks around Ireland does, is the use of plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are thrown everywhere. If they were worth 20 cent, little young fellows would collect them. Back in my day, they used to collect glass bottles and bring them down to the supermarket. Placing a monetary value on used plastic bottles would make people recycle. In 2003, in Germany less than 40% of plastic bottles were recycled.

Now, since the deposit and return scheme started, 99.9% of all plastic bottles are recycled because of the monetary return. It would be at least a start if the Minister could take that on board. Capitalism is a very dirty system but we can start with something where we can all make a difference.

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