Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I know he has been closely engaged with this issue since long before the recent events highlighted by the Opposition and others.

We need to examine how we behave and manage waste. The starting point was our unsustainable dependence on landfill. This has left many local authorities with major legacy issues, with which many Senators will be familiar. We are still paying the price for unsustainable practices in waste management. As a result of the various initiatives, including the green schools programme, we need only ask our children what the solution to our waste problem is. Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost is how we will divert waste from landfill. However, we must also have in place a formal system that will allow us to manage waste in a responsible manner. We cannot afford to continue our dependence on landfill because it is unsustainable, costly and bad for the environment.

Waste collection systems have been introduced nationwide. As a former member of a local authority for eight years, I recall when change was first proposed in the area of waste management. When we introduced recycling and charges, Sinn Féin engaged in populist opposition to the changes. We are elected to be responsible. We cannot be populist all the time and while people have legitimate concerns about waste charges, Sinn Féin is not offering any solutions. It engages in rhetoric that appeals to emotions and exploits distress without offering solutions. Over time, people will see through this.

I support the Minister in his endeavours, especially his efforts in recent days to engage with the stakeholders and the waste management industry. As we know, this is not about increasing charges but about changing the behaviour of householders in terms of how they manage their waste by encouraging and incentivising a reduction in waste going to landfill. Ultimately, this will be good for all of us, including future generations.

I remember trying to adopt waste management plans and introducing the first recycling bags in County Waterford, which I represented on the council. We introduced what I considered to be a fairly small charge. Even then, we faced major opposition from Sinn Féin because there was resistance to change. In the interim, it has been demonstrated that recycling, for which we charged initially, has been extremely successful.