asked the Minister for Industry and Energy (a) whether, in view of the cost of imports of waste paper and of the importance of import substitution, he has formulated any policy to encourage the collection and re-use of waste generated in Ireland; and (b) whether he is aware that, in the carrying out of such a policy, he will have the goodwill and co-operation of a number of voluntary organisations.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Recycling of Waste.
11.
The collection of waste paper is organised by the waste paper merchants. For some years past, the volume of waste paper collected by the merchants for recycling by industry has been in excess of domestic demand and the surplus has been exported.
Regardless of the volume collected from domestic sources, it has always been necessary for Irish paper-makers to import a certain quantity of waste paper. These imports are of paper containing a higher proportion of chemical pulp than is present in most of the waste paper collected domestically. In recent years the volume of such imports varied between 1,000 and 1,500 tonnes annually while exports have been between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes a year.
Whilst I appreciate the important contribution that voluntary organisations can make to increasing the volume of waste paper available for collection by the merchants, it must be recognised that in the present circumstances of the paper-making industry in this country and elsewhere the merchants may not be in a position to accept all the paper that might be offered to them by voluntary organisations.
Apart from the recycling of waste paper by the paper and packaging industry, no economically viable alternative commercial uses for waste paper have so far been identified. This however, is something which my Department and the Department of the Environment will continue to explore in the context of the attention being given at present to the general question of recycling of waste.
In view of the fact that the Minister concentrated his answer entirely on waste paper, which is only a small part of the problem, would he like to comment on the rest of the matters raised, such as the formulation of a policy to encourage the collection and re-use of waste generated in Ireland by which we understand waste paper, waste oil, waste glass and other waste material? Will the Minister say if he has any plans to formulate such a policy? Will he reply to the second part of the question which asks very specifically if he will use the good offices of voluntary organisations already at work in the area to help him in the formulation of this policy?
I am sure the Deputy is aware that the 1979 European Community waste regulations, which implement the 1975 EEC Directive on waste, oblige local authorities to prepare waste management plans for their functional areas and the Department of the Environment, I understand, have advised local authorities accordingly and approximately half the authorities so far have prepared plans. I have also under investigation another plan in my Department which I hope to be in a position to release in about four to five weeks time to tackle another aspect of this. I am sure the Deputy is also aware that approximately 20,000 tonnes are collected by the Waste Paper Company of Ireland.
May I ask the Minister again if he has any plans to develop a policy for the re-use of waste materials? I appreciate his reference to the EEC directive which refers only in passing to the re-use of these materials but the question I am concerned with is whether the Minister has any intention of building up a policy for the re-use of these materials, materials which provide a valuable source of additional energy in a number of different forms and which could also be a valuable source in terms of savings on imports.
The Deputy can rest assured that I am tackling the waste material situation. Very shortly I intend to announce an experiment, a pilot scheme, in relation to waste.
Which materials are involved?
There are many other aspects of waste, apart from waste paper, which have the potential for the creation of jobs in industry. I have already directed the attention of the IDA to these other materials and a section of that agency are considering various opportunities in that field. There is considerable scope for the creation of jobs out of the recycling and the better use of waste. If we manage to tackle the question successfully the whole environment should be a better place in which to live.
The Minister has told us that the Minister for the Environment has asked local authorities to draw up plans for the disposal of waste but has any money been provided to enable the local authorities to implement that plan?
In many other areas——
There is a shortage of money.
——the local authorities are being asked to implement something without being given the necessary finances to do so. An example is the pollution Act.
Hear, hear.
That is a matter for the Minister for Finance and the Deputy will have an opportunity of raising the question later this afternoon.
This question is to the Minister for Industry and Energy. He is the one who brought up the matter.
Regarding the announcement that the Minister is to make within the next four to five weeks about some initiative, can he say if this will involve community or voluntary organisations and if not would the Minister pay serious attention to involving such organisations? He has an admirable precedent from the Simon Community in terms of the success they have had in the collection of bottles for recycling.
I appreciate fully the Deputy's suggestion. The voluntary organisations have an important contribution to make in this field. There are some voluntary organisations engaged already in the collection of waste but unfortunately at times the market situation is such that all the waste available to them cannot be taken up. Therefore, as well as considering the question of the market potential of exporting waste and of using it at home, there is also the question of how we recycle it. In the energy area particularly there are possibilities and the Deputy can be assured that the voluntary organisations will be involved totally in this operation, so far as I am concerned.
We should not waste any more time on this question.
Perhaps the Minister would be a little less coy about the announcement he is to make in three or four weeks time.
It was not very long ago since the Deputy was on this side of the House and he was equally coy then, too.
There was no by-election in the offing at that time.
(Dún Laoghaire): There are a number of aspects in regard to this question, some of which have not been answered correctly. In the course of the Minister's reply he referred to discussions taking place with the Minister for the Environment. Everything seems to be shoved on to the Department of the Environment and——
Has the Deputy a question?
(Dún Laoghaire):——ultimately, everything is passed on to the local authorities. Is the Minister arranging for a transfer of funds from his Department to the local authorities to enable them to carry out effectively the work he is speaking of? I ask the question in the knowledge that the more work that is passed to local authorities the less money there is available for other essential services that they are obliged to provide.
I noticed a smile on the Deputy's face when he talked about a transfer of funds from my Department. He knows that the Department of the Environment and the local authorities are the bodies responsible for the collection and disposal of waste. Surely he would not expect my Department to provide the moneys for that.
There was a lot of money transferred into the Dublin West constituency, perhaps millions of pounds, but it did not work.