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Ireland 'EU leader' in waste - Greens
Ireland is now "European leader" in creating waste, dumping it in landfills and exporting it abroad, the Green Party said today.
Publishing its 10 steps to clean up the environment, the party said it would, in government, open more recycling centres with work-friendly hours, offer recycling incentives and tackle illegal dumping.
Speaking in Blessington, Co Wicklow, Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said the 'Garden County' had been "the dumping ground of Ireland" for too long.
"This Government has refused to tackle Ireland's waste problem and latest waste figures show that that we are now European leaders in creating waste, dumping it in landfills, and exporting it abroad.
"While recycling rates have grown, much of that waste is transported out of the country to be dealt with elsewhere. We need to address the problem from home, reduce packaging and waste levels and ensure easier and better access to recycling facilities here," Mr Sargent said.
The Green Party said it would tackle illegal dumping by strengthening the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Environmental Enforcement and bring in strict regulation of private waste operators.
Mr Sargent was visiting the Poulaphouca reservoir in Blessington, which provides drinking water to over a million homes in Dublin.
He said the reservoir has an unexcavated illegal dump just 25 yards from the water's edge.
Green Party waste management spokeswoman councillor Deirdre de Burca said that from "overnight privatisation" of waste services in Wicklow in 2000, to the discovery of a large network of illegal dumps in 2001, the county had become synonymous with the kind of waste problems that also affect other parts of the country.
The Green Party's 10 steps include the establishment of a new semi-State recycling company to ensure materials are recycled in Ireland rather than exported abroad.
It said it would introduce deposit refund schemes for drinking containers and also abolish flat rates on waste disposal and introduce a nationally system of weight-related charges for waste collection.
The party said it would also provide brown bins for organic waste to every household within the next term of Government.
© 2007 ireland.com
