Sir, - As a foreign student in Ireland I have come to love the Irish scenery very much. I think this country is one of the most beautiful on earth and it is therefore with great sadness that I see how people are treating it.
In most European countries you will find that nowadays such waste materials as paper, cans and batteries are recycled. In Ireland, however, I haven't seen any of this so far. I believe that it is not the Irish people's lack of will to recycle that is the main problem, but the fact that it is so hard to do it in this country.
In Sweden, for instance, you will find refuse bins for paper in all houses, battery bins all over the cities and you will be paid five pence for each can you recycle. Under these conditions it is easy to be environmentally friendly and as a result there is less waste on the streets and not such severe exploitation of natural resources.
I really hope that the Irish people will take better care of their very special environment in the future and once the facilities are there I think that they will. - Yours, etc., Joakim Kaminsky,
Rathgar Road, Dublin 6.