I understand that Forfás established a waste management taskforce on following an integrated approach to waste management. This involved a national plan for hazardous waste and a regional waste management plan for the management of non-hazardous waste produced by regional and local authorities. They have made progress on waste prevention, minimisation and segregation, reusing and recycling. Senators from rural areas will agree that we have gone in a short time from having no refuse collection service to a situation where we throw everything in the bin. Recycling bins and bags are now provided, in many cases by private contractors, in rural areas. Due to increases in charges, people say that refuse collections services have become expensive. However, the private sector has become involved because local authorities cannot cover all the different areas of refuse services. My local private contractor informed me that he is moving from the recycling bag to coloured bins next year, but without any increases in charges.