30 July 2002

PRESS RELEASE

GREENS CALL FOR NATIONAL RECYCLING AGENCY AND INTRODUCTION OF  BEVERAGE CONTAINER LEVY TO SAVE ARDAGH JOBS AND PROMOTE RECYCLING

The Green Party is calling for a deposit on all drinks containers to promote waste reduction, reuse and recycling. This would create and maintain jobs as well as reducing litter and cleaning up the environment. The monies raised would be distributed by a new semi-state National Recycling Agency agency in charge of promoting waste reduction, re-use and recycling .

The Green Party has called on the Government to set up of a National Recycling Agency if they are really serious about saving the Irish glass bottle recycling jobs at the Ardagh Glass plant at Ringsend.

Green Party Dáil Environment spokesperson,  Ciaran Cuffe T.D., speaking at a joint

Green Party / SIPTU  press conference this afternoon, said that “the closure of the Ardagh Glass Plant in Ringsend is a test of the new Government's commitment to recycling”. “The plant is only a stone's throw away from an incinerator that is being promoted by Dublin City Council.   Instead of building incinerators to burn waste we should be maintaining existing jobs and creating new employment opportunities  in  recycling.  The Ardagh Glass plant in Ringsend was accepting 250 tons of used glass for recycling every day. These bottles are now either being exported or landfilled.”

“We are calling on the Government to throw an employment lifeline to the workers in Ringsend by setting up a National Recycling Agency,  part of whose responsibility would be managing the Irish Glass Bottle Company,  Ardagh Glass.   This would reduce waste and create employment in Ireland. As the new Minister for the Environment and Local Government jets of to save the world at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg next month he should be sparing  a thought for jobs at home.”

Green Party Finance spokesperson,  Dan Boyle T.D.,  outlining the Greens plan for the funding of the new National Recycling Agency, said that the party was proposing  a beverage container levy,  part of which would be refundable depending on the recyclable value of the container i.e. whether it is glass, aluminium, tin or plastic.  “Unlike the plastic bag levy we would be insisting that this levy would be used solely in support of a national recycling industry.   Mr. Boyle also called for the removal of any state supports for REPAK.  REPAK was set up by industry to police industry.  The Greens consider REPAK to be an avoidance agency, rather than an environmentally responsible body.

SIPTU Branch representative,  Mr. Gerry Lynch said that “the Government had reneged on its responsibilities to the Irish Glass Bottle industry”.   “One of the knock-on effects of the Ardagh closure could be increased costs to Irish consumers because they will have to source more glass bottles from abroad.  The Government has paid nothing but lip service to our concerns when it should be embarking on a detailed research programme to look at ways of keeping the plant open and saving the Ardagh jobs .  We are here to support the Green Party proposals.  We are appealing to the Government  to take every step possible to either get the company to overturn its ridiculous plan to close this profitable plant or for the State to take over the running of this vital cog in the waste management strategy.”

Ardagh Workers Committee chairman,  Mick Duffy,  said the workers at the plant had been very shabbily treated by the company.  “They are closing the plant  with the loss of 375 jobs without agreeing a redundancy package as proposed by the Labour Court.  The Labour Court recommendation was five weeks pay for every year worked.  What the workers are now being given by the company is the minimum statutory redundancy package. In so far as the workers are concerned we believe that the Government is duty bound to intervene even at this late stage to keep the plant open and to get the company to honour the LRC recommendation.”

ENDS

INFORMATION

CIARAN CUFFE T.D.         087 265 2075

DAN BOYLE  T.D.             087 277 2701

GERRY LYNCH SIPTU      087 678 4728