Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)

I am delighted the Minister has been able to join us for this debate. I thank the Leader for arranging this discussion, for which we have been calling for the past couple of weeks. I am opposed to the concept of incineration as a method of reducing or getting rid of waste. That is a strongly held personal view. I was a member of the local authority in a city that introduced one of the first waste recycling schemes in the country, which has been hugely successful. The environmental progress report presented to Galway City Council last Monday evening stated that in 2004, Galway City County diverted, through recycling, 57.5% of waste. Some 10,431 tonnes of rubbish were diverted from landfill. In the past four years, the city has gone from one which sent everything to landfill to one which now recycles over 57% of its rubbish. There is composting, kerbside recycling and so on.

Cities, towns and county councils throughout the country are learning from, and investing in, various recycling projects. Not only are county and city councils introducing such initiatives but people are beginning to learn and to think about recycling, reduction and, increasingly, about reuse. That is what is needed. I know the Minister is open and I plead with him to give us a chance in respect of waste management and to consider a moratorium on introducing incineration as a method of getting rid of waste. I strongly suggest incineration is something we do not need. I will not engage in scaremongering that incineration kills everybody, dioxins will be emitted and we will all die from cancer. However, incineration emits more dioxins into the atmosphere.