Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Waste reduction is key. In that sense, householders are small change because, by and large, they are waste receivers, rather than waste producers. If we want to tackle waste generation, we must tackle the business and agriculture sectors.

I fully accept that what I am putting forward is not a solution to the national waste problem. However, it is potentially a solution in some areas. Independents 4 Change introduced a Bill prior to the summer recess to make it easier for people to establish co-operatives. For example, the Magpie Recycling Co-op in Brighton began with three volunteers collecting cans and glass in their locality. It expanded into the collection of recyclable materials such as old furniture and other materials and providing a service for 2,000 houses. Such co-ops could engage people who are not working or who are retired in reusing material in the local economy. Will the Minister consider a pilot project based on such a model? I accept that it would have to feed into a grid for the disposal of some waste, but such a pilot project could point to a really good way forward in terms of an initiative on the ground to deal with the footprint of trucks.

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