Máirín Quill
Question:3 Miss Quill asked the Minister for the Environment if he will give details of the recently announced litter campaign; and the total cost of this campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9136/96]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Litter Campaign.
Action Against Litter is a radical initiative designed to prevent and control litter in Ireland and is built on four main foundations: improving local authority performance; reforming, updating and streamlining litter legislation; promoting public awareness and education; and developing effective partnerships with commercial and voluntary interests to combat litter.
Key actions to date have included: publication of a framework policy statement; mobilisation of support in the local authority, business and voluntary sectors; development and circulation of schools' information packs; and the launch of a multi-media public awareness campaign.
Work is also proceeding on the preparation of a comprehensive new Bill to replace the Litter Act, 1982.
An overall budget of £400,000 has been provided for Action Against Litter in 1996, of which an estimated £300,000 will be spent on the public awareness campaign.
Certain places are particularly prone to litter, for example, the immediate environs of fast food outlets and, sadly, some of our schools and beaches. In what way is the multi-media campaign targeted at the major offenders in terms of litter?
We have had the benefit of two analyses, an analysis of the composition of litter, conducted by my Department, and an attitudinal survey carried out by IBAL, Irish Business Against Litter, a very welcome new organisation established by a co-ordinated group of senior business people to bring the weight of business into the battle against litter. That organisation indicated the attitude of people to litter and its survey places litter as the number one environmental challenge.
The Deputy is right in that the two areas that were highlighted in the litter survey as particularly bad were the vicinity of fast food outlets and some schools. The schools pack is targeted particularly at heightening awareness of post-primary and primary school children of the problem of litter as an environmental question. Very often school children are animated by world environmental problems, whether relating to the whale, ozone depletion, greenhouse gases or global warming, and are blind to immediate environmental problems such as litter on their doorstep. A very good video was produced by the Dublin teacher centres to help in the promotion and the pack is being circulated. I look forward to the impact of that initiative.
The general campaign of posters, newspapers, radio and television is designed to sensitise the public generally that it is no longer acceptable to despoil our countryside. The theme, "It's our country, don't rubbish it", which is a very good one, is intended to appeal to the sense of patriotism such as that which exists when we swell with pride at the performance of Irish sports teams or when Ireland is performing on an international arena. I hope the theme will have an impact, but it is only part of the strategy. Our intention is to build partnerships with local government. I have had meetings with the chairpersons and chief executives of every local authority, the business community and local groups so that there will be a concerted effort by everybody to work together. The Tidy Towns Competition and all other such vehicles will be used to change, over a period of time, the attitude of people to litter and I am convinced we will be successful.
What proposals has the Minister in mind to monitor the progress of the campaign? Can he say today, on his 40th birthday, that Ireland will be a cleaner place when he reaches the ripe old age of 41? Is there a monitoring system in place so that the Minister can come back and tell the House that the investment of £400,000 was money well spent? When will up-to-date litter legislation be introduced? Regardless of how good or well-timed this campaign is, without back-up legislation we will be fighting a losing battle.
There must be ongoing monitoring of this matter. I have charged local authorities with producing anti-litter plans at local level. The Bill which, I hope, will be enacted during the course of this year will require particular strategies for local areas, including strategies relating to fast food outlets and so on, to be devised locally. That will involve ongoing monitoring by local authorities. No doubt that matter will be debated when the Bill comes before the House. Surveys such as that carried out in preparation for the campaign may be repeated. I hope there will be an inventory of improvement rather than deterioration. I agree that all the exhortation in the world will get us so far, but a component of the population will be immune to exhortation and good example and in those circumstances enforcement will be required. New powers must be given to litter wardens so that those who are immune to good civic awareness campaigns and who continue to be environmental vandals are called to book and pay the penalty.