Sir, - The recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency calls for the setting up of a "widespread and rapid" infrastructure to facilitate the separate collection and recovery of municipal waste.
The Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey TD, in response stated that this is a "wakeup call to local authorities, the public and business on the need for concerted action to minimise waste generation and to put waste management on a modern footing".
Wrong, Minister. It is a wakeup call to you and your Department. At a time when local authorities throughout the State are considering waste management strategies, we are still waiting for Department guidelines and policy on recycling, waste minimisation and waste recovery. The recent experience of "kerbside" in Dublin has shown that, commercially, recycling is not viable. Government subvention will be required. What percentage of the £650 million set aside in the National Development Plan for capital expenditure in waste management infrastructure will be spent on facilitating recovery of waste?
The Department sees the development of this infrastructure taking place over a 15-year timeframe. This is hardly rapid or ambitious. In the meantime let us hope that ministerial statements are made on recycled paper as no doubt in the absence of action they will be trotted out time after time in the foreseeable future. - Yours, etc.,
Cllr Michael O Dowd, Drogheda, Co Louth.