Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and I sat together on the Opposition benches a few years ago and had many a chat about agriculture, recycling and reusing. The Minister often told me about his green policies. Fifteen years ago when development was being done around Dublin people driving lorries - they called them hackers - would get ten loads to the tips in Balally, Dunsink and other places. Today these lorries go to Longford, Westmeath, Monaghan and various parts of the country because of the problems with tips. Ironically enough, if we are stopped at traffic lights in Dublin and watch the shears taking down the buildings the rubble comprises concrete, mortar, gravel and cement. Throughout the country, be it Galway, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, there is a lot of what we call "muckaway" being shifted. In Dublin alone there are 3,000 to 4,000 loads per day. One third of everything being taken out is concrete, stone and cement. If this is brought to a tip it has to be buried with everything else. The Minister is overlooking this. This one third could be used on greenway roads or making roads. I am well aware of mica and I understand the situation but there is not the same effect with tar.

Consider farmers' roads, when they develop their farms around the country. One third of this could be saved in the re-use and recyclable situation. Article 28 is guidance on end-of-use waste, which is from the Minister's Department, but people are trying to get around the hoops at the moment, for example in trying to screen topsoil, whereby one makes topsoil available for green areas or for around houses. They are trying to recycle this stone, but then someone will come in from the council and say "If I catch you at that we will take your tip licence off you." For God's sake, as the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and especially as a Green Party Minister, will the Minister, Deputy Ryan, go into his Department and sign a regulation so that cement or concrete, which is basically sand and cement, or stone that has been used, can be recycled for certain projects? I am not saying that it would be put under houses or used under factories, but there are plenty of uses that could be made by the person who is thinking of the environment. Instead of a lorry going with it to Longford, Westmeath or Monaghan, this material could be reduced by one third. Will the Minister do that? It is a very simple question.

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