I propose to take Questions Nos. 727 and 730 together.
Alternatives to glass milk bottles are widely used throughout the European Community. The question of which packaging materials, products or packaging systems are environmentally preferable is complex, and a definitive assessment of the best practicable environmental option in any specific circumstances would require appropriate life cycle analysis.
Under Article 18 of European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, member states may not impede the placing on the market of packaging which satisfies the provisions of the directive, i.e. which is in accordance with the essential requirements specified in Annex II of the directive as to the nature and composition of packaging. These requirements are transposed into Irish legislation by means of the Waste Management (Packaging) (Amendment) Regulations, 1998, which have been brought to the attention of the company concerned.