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The Green Party has slammed the Irish Government’s record on recycling, as it emerges that the Irish Government has missed the deadline for incorporating a European Directive on waste into Irish law. The criticism comes in the wake of a new European report that puts Ireland close to the bottom of the league for recycling.
The European Commission confirmed last week* that the Irish Government has missed the deadline for transposing the new Packaging Directive** into Irish law. The Directive sets out new targets for recovery and recycling of various materials for all member states. Last Thursday marked the deadline for new targets for recycling to be signed into national legislation across the EU in the Directive on packaging and packaging waste.
Meanwhile a new European report states that Ireland came second last in overall recycling with a figure of 35% while Germany managed to recycle an impressive 74% of its waste. While Ireland has achieved the 2005 target of 25%, our recycling rates compare poorly in all categories to other EU member states. Ireland was ranked last on recycling paper, second last on recycling metals, eleventh out of fifteen for glass recycling and ninth out of fifteen for recycling plastics.
Green Party Environment spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said today that, “Instead of wringing his hands and making excuses we want Minister Roche to set-up a new State Agency that would spearhead recycling in Ireland.
“Such an Agency would promote best practice in waste management, would sponsor design awards for products made using recycled and reused materials, and would make grant aid available to those who recycle. Recycling must be mainstreamed and made a central plank of Government Policy.
“High waste charges are damaging Irish competitiveness, according to Forfás’s 2004 Annual Competitiveness Report. Encouraging waste reduction, re-use and recycling is crucial, and the State has a central role to play in this area.
“To miss one deadline for transposing directives is unfortunate; to miss several looks like carelessness or incompetence.
The Irish Government has already missed deadlines set by Europe for implementing Noise and Environmental Impact Assessment Directives. Minister Roche is now failing to meet deadlines set by Europe for handling our waste. This has to reflect on Minister Roche’s ability to handle his brief.
“Recycling rates may have improved in recent years, but we are still close to the bottom of the European Table of the 15 member states that signed this agreement in 1996.”
*http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1057&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
**Directive 2004/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste.
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