Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 578: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason he has a levy on landfill and not on incineration; his views on the amounts raised by the landfill levy; the use the levy is being and will be used for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13996/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A levy of €15 per tonne on the landfill of waste was introduced on 1 June 2002 under legislation approved by the Oireachtas. The levy is designed to encourage the diversion of waste away from landfill and generate revenues that can be applied in support of waste minimisation and recycling initiatives. Similar landfill levies are being applied in other countries, and in particular by a number of EU member states having regard to the requirement of the EU Landfill Directive for significant reduction by member states in the use of landfill. No such EU policy or legal requirement applies to the incineration of waste with energy recovery.

The landfill levy which has to date generated €132m for the Environment Fund is used, and will continue to be used, to help achieve the targets set in the Government's policy document Changing Our Ways, by encouraging the diversion of waste away from landfill towards recycling and biological treatment options; in support of waste minimisation and "high-in-hierarchy" recycling initiatives and to support improved enforcement initiatives by local authorities with regard to control of unauthorised waste activities.