Vol. 478 No. 5
78 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for the Environment the national recycling figures for each of the years from 1993 to date in 1997; the steps, if any, his Department are taking in relation to reaching the target of 20 per cent by the year 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11614/97]
The most recent and comprehensive information on waste and recycling is contained in the National Waste Database Report, 1995, published by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1996. A copy of the report is available in the Oireachtas Library. In relation to combined household and commercial waste, the report indicates that between 1993 and 1995 the recycling rates have increased from 7.4 per cent to 10.4 per cent for all such waste, and from 10.3 per cent to 15.6 per cent for packaging waste.
As regards measures to increase recycling performance and attain targets, I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 104 and 127 of 4 March 1997.
