Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on progress to date in enforcing waste electrical and electronic equipment regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22573/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The United Nations has labelled electrical & electronic waste as one of the world's fastest growing and most dangerous waste streams. The European Union was so concerned about this form of waste that it enacted the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive aimed at bringing the problem under control in 2002. On 13th August 2005, Ireland became one of only 3 EU Member States to fully implement this Directive when the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations came into effect.

The policy has been more successful than anyone imagined:

∙In less than 7 months 14,500 tonnes of Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment were collected for recycling

∙This included 11,000 tonnes of fridges and freezers and over 1,000 tonnes of old TVs.

∙This is the equivalent to an annual collection rate of 6.7Kg per person, way ahead of our EU target of 4Kg per person by 2008.

As a result of this Government initiative Ireland is to the fore in terms of recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment and we are now seeing major investments being made in a whole new recycling industry.

Enforcement of the Regulations is a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency and the local authorities. I am pleased to say that implementation is being vigorously pursued. In excess of 700 cases have been taken up by the Agency and the vast majority of producers and retailers approached have been steered towards full compliance by this intervention. To date there have been three successful prosecutions brought by the Agency.