The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, has published a new policy statement on the prevention and recycling of waste.
It is a worthy document. But the circumstances of its release - coming less than two months before a general election and when the Government is under pressure over illegal dumping and waste disposal - suggests political damage limitation. Mr Dempsey and the Coalition Government have to be seen to be responding to a rapidly worsening waste situation and to pressure from the European Commission.
Only ten local authorities have sufficient licensed landfill space to cope with the expected volume of public waste this year. The situation is reaching critical proportions and aggressive, local campaigns prevent new sites being opened by the authorities. The Minister's initiative is designed to minimise waste, which will help the landfill situation, but it has been delayed for far too long and probably does not go far enough. Funding of €47 million was provided last December for waste management projects in 2002, but Mr Dempsey is only now announcing the details of grant schemes and re-use initiatives.
The Minister promised that, by the end of the year, 250,000 Dublin homes would have segregated waste collection, with services also being provided in Galway and Nenagh and in parts of counties Waterford, Meath and Louth. In the longer term, to 2006, he envisaged the number of civic amenity sites being doubled to more than 85 and, where economically feasible, to introduce the segregation of waste to other urban centres. In terms of achievement, Mr Dempsey said the national target of recycling one-quarter of all packaging waste had been met last year and he hailed the plastic bag levy as a success.
In order to co-ordinate the efforts of various agencies, the Minister took on board last year's proposal by Forfás - the industrial policy advisory board - and announced the establishment of a National Waste Management Board to monitor and advise on waste policy. A recycling Consultative Forum and a Market Development Group will represent the interests of the recycling sector. These are positive changes but, like the €15 charge per tonne on landfill waste, their effects will not be felt until after the election.