Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of Shabra Plastics in Castleblayney, County Monaghan, which is Ireland's only PET recycling company. It recycles more than 12,000 tonnes of plastic which it buys from materials recovery facilities. It sells 90% of the processed, recycled materials to Irish companies. This model has become untenable because some European countries, including the UK, have a levy on virgin material, increasing demand for recycled material. The Irish Government through Repak is paying a subsidy on recycling PET bottles but they are not recycled, they are separated and sold to the highest bidder. Currently they are being sold outside of the country. The Minister needs to take action to keep recycled material in Ireland to be reprocessed. There should be zero subsidy for exporting raw material out of the country. We are increasing our carbon footprint and putting 50 jobs at risk in Monaghan.

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