Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 446: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason no system is in place to collect plastic from farms, in view of the fact that farmers pay for the disposals of plastic when they purchase these products. [30721/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The disposal of waste materials generally is covered by the Waste Management Acts 1996 to 2005, which apply to all sectors of society including the agricultural sector, and is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Under the Waste Management (Farm Plastics) Regulations 2001, manufacturers and importers of farm plastics – that is, silage bale wrap and sheeting – are required to take steps to recover farm plastics waste which they have placed on the market, or alternatively to contribute to and participate in compliance schemes to recover the waste in question. The Irish Farm Film Producers Group, IFFPG, is currently the sole approved body in Ireland for the purposes of implementing a compliance scheme for the recovery of farm plastics waste. The Waste Management (Farm Plastics) Regulations are a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and my Department has no involvement in the running of the IFFPG scheme.