A chara, - Further to your article ("Recycling Revisited", March 7th) I wish to point out that not all recycling firms are destined to lose money in recycling our domestic waste.
Figures reported in this article were incorrect in regard to used beverage cans. The price of aluminium cans is not currently £500 a tonne but more than half that again. There is a market for the steel can and though the price is very low, it is not insignificant. Approximately 65 per cent of all used beverage cans are aluminium, the remainder are steel. A steel can has an aluminium lid and is not a mixture of steel and aluminium as was implied in the article.
I do not agree that the future for can recycling is bleak. Where a price is paid to the collector for used beverage cans, a value is created of the particular waste, thus making it recyclable. The entire rationale behind recycling is based on value. Give the waste product a stable and economic value and the public together with recycling companies will recycle. By this means and this means only will recycling targets be achieved. Without a value on a waste product the waste remains waste. There was a time not very long ago when newspaper had a good value and thus was considered valuable and recyclable. However today this waste is considered as waste and is not recyclable.
By placing financial instruments in place, a steady and economic value can be made of most wastes. The market will also play a part in this process. People will use their own ingenuity to recycle if waste has a value in monetary terms. Who wants to throw away money? The financial tool to achieve this is known as a "green tax" and at the end of the day it is the consumer who pays, not industry as has been commonly reported. The tax is based on the cost of recycling the particular type of package and on the value of the recycled product to the recycler. This also gives a very level playing pitch for all recycling companies to participate and compete.
Without a value, waste remains a waste and is not recyclable and it doesn't matter how many different coloured bins are placed for collection or indeed if there are yellow ribbons placed on these bins, as no one will want to collect them. The alternative to this approach is to wake up and smell the landfill. - Is mise,
Dr Aiden P. Dunlea, Green Dragon Recycling Ltd, Blackrock, Cork.