Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

While I understand the point the Senator is trying to make, I do not accept it. The manager is in charge when the landfill is established, but the determination is made by the Environmental Protection Agency. I cannot foresee circumstances in which a local authority would forego potential income from its landfill by driving landfill charges to such levels that nobody would consider using it. Such an approach would make no sense. A balance will have to be struck between the use of the various facilities and this will be done through weighting.

I welcome the huge strides now being made in waste management. Our approach to this issue is hierarchical. During discussions with local authorities in recent months, I have been encouraged by the fact that they intend to focus their waste plans for the coming year on prevention and recycling. These two areas will be the bedrock of the system. I will ensure that recycling becomes far more attractive than the other options. I have already established the construction and demolition waste council and I also established the electrical task force under the relevant directive to make sure electrical goods are not brought to landfill. The new waste packaging directives, which apply to business, entered into force on 1 March. We have not taken just one approach, a raft of approaches are being taken.

It is time we, as politicians, acknowledged that the mood among the public and business is in favour of accepting responsibility for waste. Having distributed some €15 million to local authorities through the environmental fund late last year, I will distribute a substantially higher amount later this year. In doing so, I will emphasise to local authorities that the public, particularly householders and private citizens, want sufficient recycling facilities to meet their needs.

We need to strike a balance. We must have the facilities in place before we deal with some of the arguments. The Environmental Protection Agency will licence and monitor facilities to ensure matters are being handled correctly. We will not allow people to charge exorbitant prices for landfill use. Such an approach would not be acceptable.