Joint Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities debate -
Wednesday, 7 Mar 1979

Recycling of Urban and Industrial Waste.

Senator Mulcahy

This has to do with research funds relating to the use of urban and industrial waste. Ireland is deeply involved in work in this area and has got quite an amount of Community research funds. We are particularly involved with the fermentation and hydrolysis of organic waste of agricultural, industrial and household origin and research is continuing in this area. Page 3 of the report gives a summary of the items. We understand that if the programme is approved, Ireland will submit specific proposals for research in relation to the items numbered (a) to (f) on page 3. The cost of those research proposals would be approximately £800,000 and we would get up to 50 per cent of the costs which is not bad. The cost of the programme itself is £8 million approximately. We believe it was worthwhile undertaking the investigation in the light of the pressures on energy as well as the pollution problems that can arise from the incorrect handling of waste. We stated in our report that the Sub-Committee were advised that any reduction in the budget proposed would seriously jeopardise that part of the programme in which Ireland is particularly interested. Accordingly, the Sub-Committee urges that any attempt to reduce the budget be strongly resisted by the Ministers concerned when they take the decision.

In our discussions in the Sub-Committee we gave some time to considering the recycling of some household waste. We gathered this was being done in Brussels. Senator Hussey took a particular interest in this and perhaps she would like to comment. I also received a letter from an officer in the Department of Economic Planning and Development indicating that a special seminar was to be held on this work. The seminar has the title "Today's and Tomorrow's Waste" and it will be held on 21-22 May in Cork. It will deal with the management technology and environmental quality issues involved.

I got a statement that the separate collection of different waste products is unlikely to be profitable and would demand tremendous discipline on the part of those who generate household waste to pre-sort it for recycling purposes. However, there are mechanical ways of doing this and that aspect can be studied. Perhaps Senator Hussey would like to elaborate on that point?

Senator Hussey

Page 3 sets out six proposals for research but none mentions household waste. I was interested in this. Those making the proposals are under estimating the motivation of housewives who would be glad to be involved in recycling household waste.

We are very conscious at the moment of the amounts of household waste that have to be dealt with as perhaps they are not being collected in many places. My information was that in large urban areas it was quite possible to organise a system and it has been done very successfully in Brussels. In one of the communes of Brussels, at the beginning of 1975, they decided to try a waste collection among the population of a commune of about 50,000 people. They collected bottles in one lorry and, rather cleverly, when they took the bottles out of the cardboard boxes or whatever they were in—all types of bottles and jars—the next lorry coming along collected the cardboard containers with the paper rubbish. In 1976, a year later, the commune were able to inform the residents that it was very successful, was making a profit and that it was intended to continue it. I do not see why this could not be done with existing technology with some motivation. Senator Mulcahy mentioned a seminar to be held in Cork. We in the Sub-Committee were sorry that we did not have a report from an international seminar held in Cork on 8 January, called "The Potential to Reduce Pollution by Recycling" when representatives from Sweden, Germany, the U.K. and Ireland took part. It was addressed by Mr. G. Fitzgerald, Minister for Labour, and by Mr. J. O'Leary, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment. It was stated that the Department of the Environment had instructed all local authorities to prepare comprehensive waste management plans and consider measures for the promotion of waste recycling. We seem to be going along several different lines. I think we should involve ourselves very much in the area of household waste recycling.

Chairman

I would remind Senator Hussey that the final paragraph in the report accepts what she has been recommending in relation to household waste.

Deputy Woods

I agree with Senator Hussey. I think it is probable that you would get fairly good sorting and that the normal householder is very conscious at this stage of the need to conserve energy in any way possible. I understand that the District Heating Association of Ireland in association with the Danish Embassy had a deputation out to Denmark in the last week to see district heating and, in addition, this sort of operation. Dublin Corporation's Chief Engineer was, I understand, on that visit and a representative of An Foras Forbartha. It is being taken quite seriously currently and I think they would be glad to have it highlighted by the Committee in this report.

Senator Mulcahy

I want to draw attention to the fact that we are recommending it. Senator Hussey has a point in that the list of items on page 3 refers to the research intention. We could bring to the attention of the Department of Economic Planning and Development the possibility that recycling of household waste might also get special attention. This might be an area where community councils and associations might play an effective role. Irish householders might not, it was suggested to me, be sufficiently disciplined to do something useful like this and perhaps the community groups could get to work on it.

Chairman

You could be mainly right. It is very difficult to have waste sorted and separated in this way.

Senator Mulcahy

Perhaps the community organisations could help. Very often they are telling Government Departments or local authorities what they are not doing; this might be something for themselves to do and have control over.

Paragraphs 1 to 9, inclusive, agreed to.

Draft Report agreed to.

Ordered: To report accordingly.