Seanad debates
Wednesday, 5 February 2003
Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).
The Bill will give power to local authority executives regarding payment for the amount of domestic waste produced. We must grasp that fact, just as the European Union has recognised that water must be paid for by the amount that is used. We are being forced into that practice and while we may not like it, we will eventually recognise that the user must pay. If one uses very little water, one will not pay much, whereas if one uses a lot of money, the cost will be higher. While the Minister does not intend it to happen, local councils will charge everybody the same amount for the collection of domestic waste unless we find a way of enforcing a different system. A neighbour of mine produces very little domestic rubbish because she lives on her own. However, her container is quite big and she has to pay the same amount as everyone else, even though we may produce more waste. We should insist on the user pays principle being applied.
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