James Bannon (Fine Gael)

Waste facilities throughout the country are not up to scratch, with a lack of emphasis on recycling and problems arisingwith refuse collection and private wastefacilities. Changing Our Ways of September 1998 set out the broad policy approach to waste management in Ireland: "Policy is based on the integrated approach, based on the international recognised waste management hierarchy of prevention/minimisation, significantly increased levels of recycling, energy recovery and finally, utilising landfill as the last resort for residual waste that cannot otherwise be recovered."

Reduced reliance on landfill is a key policy priority and to that end a range of ambitious targets was set for delivery over a 15-year period involving: a diversion of 50% of overall household waste away from landfill; a minimum 65% reduction of biodegradable waste consigned to landfill; recycling of 35% of municipal waste; and recycling 85% of construction and demolition waste with an interim target of 50% recycling by 2003.

I stood in this Chamber last year and said that Ireland's record on recycling was deplorable by European standards. We recycle less than 8% of our household waste compared to 46% in Austria, 44% in Holland, 40% in Belgium and 30% in Denmark. Already our landfill is at 86% capacity.

So much for aspirations. There is a total lack of political will in Government to drive the environmental agenda forward. We are faced with the shocking fact that almost 70% of Ireland's recyclable waste is exported. Private sector environmental service companies are currently gearing up to invest €1 billion in developing the structures necessary to cope with the country's growing waste problem. Local authorities through the country are finalising waste management plans with businesses to provide most of the services. Local authorities outside Dublin are likely to rely heavily on private sector involvement and will contract most of their services to waste management companies. This was pointed out to us in the recent presentations by local authorities to the Joint Committee on Environment and Local Government. These services will include bottle banks, green waste facilities — sorting, recycling and other treatment and civic amenity centres. Biological treatment for waste water, sewage and waste will require considerable outlay, as will recycling related services such as materials recovery facilities.

Fine Gael policy is to extend the rate of recycling to European standards before considering incineration. Along with my colleague, Deputy O'Dowd, I support an alternative policy based on recycling. The State currently recycles less than 8% of waste, which is well below European levels. When in Government, Fine Gael will have a target of recycling 50% of household waste.

Figures published by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in March of this year have shown that after two years of decline, Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions have climbed by 0.15% to the equivalent of 68.46 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2004. Electricity generation accounts for the bulk of the 23.2% of Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, which points the finger at the State-owned ESB which produces more greenhouse gases than all other Irish companies put together. Moneypoint power plant, which is coal-powered, and the peat burning electricity plants are the main offenders.

Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change, Ireland is supposed to restrict its greenhouse gas emissions to 113% of its 1990 level between the years 2008-11. Based on the efforts of the Government to rectify the problem, we will be nowhere near achieving this target.

Of particular concern in terms of waste management is the newspaper and magazine mountain which looks set for volcanic eruption. Unsold paper items account for 113,000 tonnes of waste annually. To put this in context, approximately 96,000 tonnes of cars go into the end-of-life scrap scheme annually. Retailers are forced, as part of their supply arrangements, to accept boxed-out unsolicited magazines. For years, the Irish Retail Newsagents Association, IRNA, has been campaigning on the unfairness of this arrangement but the Minister, Deputy Roche, has failed yet again to find a solution to a major environmental problem. An agreement needs to be brokered between the retailers, publisher, printers, wholesalers and the IRNA.

Unless a recycling charge is applied at the print run stage or a full copy returns policy is allowed then the issue of box-outs and unsolicited titles will remain a problem. With 4,300 different newspaper and magazine titles available on the Irish market it is essential that the Minister takes the matter seriously. It must be given the same priority as the car scrappage problem.

Fine Gael recognises that something must be done about Ireland's waste management problem but, unfortunately, the Government does not. Only a handful of the 46 waste management facilities in the national development plan have been built. We have a severe lack of sites, which is pushing up the cost of waste disposal. The average cost of sending something to landfill in Ireland is €180. Waste mismanagement will be the legacy of this Government. Its "live for today and squander money and resources" mode of operation will be felt for generations to come.

We want action, not cheap talk on this issue. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to listen to the people in rural areas and constituencies. People are fed up with the manner in which the Government is mismanaging the issue of waste disposal. One only has to drive up to Dublin——