Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

The Minister's argument is contradictory in that households are already availing of the free service. The problem is that there is no alternative for waste which is not recyclable, which must either go to landfill or be treated in an incineration plant, of which there is none in the north west. Households have no choice but to send their non-recyclable waste to landfill. I assure the Minister that every household in my county of Donegal with access to a green bin is availing of it to dispose of recyclable material free of charge. I have no issue with that. I agree with the Minister that it is the route we should be going.

However, if Europe has an issue - which it clearly has - it is up to the Government, working with the people, to deal with that issue in a manner which does not negatively impact on consumers. The bottom line is that there are no alternatives in terms of the disposal of material that cannot be recycled. It is not an issue of cost because the free bin service for recyclable material is already available to a large percentage of households. It should be rolled out throughout the State. In any household in my constituency where the green bin service is available, people are choosing to recycle waste because it is free and environmentally friendly. However, the waste that cannot be recycled is currently going to landfill. The measures being introduced by the Minister mean people will have to pay higher fees for their bin collection service.