Recycling grants to local authorities have become the latest victim of cutbacks, with the allocation for this year cut to €15 million from an expected €20 million or more under the National Development Plan.
An official source conceded the allocation had been reduced in the current round of Government spending cuts, but said the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, had managed to protect as much of the money as he could under the circumstances.
The Minister said the funding allocation was the first instalment of his programme. If clearance came from the European Commission under its "State aids" rules, further funding would be provided for private waste companies.
Mr Cullen said his Department had received more than 260 applications for the grants with a combined capital value of several hundred million euro.
"It is clear from this level of demand that much more remains to be done," he said.
Better waste management is one of his top priorities and he wants to see early implementation of regional waste management plans. "Recycling is the cornerstone of these plans and I am committed to supporting the delivery of the recycling and recovery infrastructure."
Grant allocations were approved for 55 local authority recycling projects.
The largest single grant, of €1.78 million, went to Galway City Council - which has already achieved impressive recycling targets - towards the provision of its Carrowbrowne composting facility. The grants will support the provision of about 530 new "bring" bank sites as well as 17 new and two expanded "civic amenity" sites for bulky household items, eight composting facilities and one expanded materials recovery facility.
"These facilities are the basic building blocks of an integrated waste management infrastructure," Mr Cullen said. "We must harness public goodwill and support for waste recycling and make it as easy as possible for the individual householder to make a contribution.
"Recycling needs to become an everyday reality in all our lives," he said.