Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2004
301 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will introduce a tax on plastic bottles similar to the tax on plastic bags; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33591/04]
View answerSuccessful deposit and refund schemes operating internationally for beverage containers are generally located in those countries where there has been no break in the continuity and cultural tradition of deposit and refund arrangements. This is not the case in Ireland and there would now quite likely be significant costs involved in re-establishing deposit and refund arrangements here. Account would also have to be taken of the possible impact on existing compliance arrangements. Given that these arrangements are achieving the desired result in relation to meeting the recycling targets, the introduction of an environmental levy or a deposit and refund scheme for plastic bottles is not under consideration.
The local and regional waste management plans now being implemented provide for a significantly increased network of bring facilities to facilitate increased collection of recyclables, including plastic bottles. Receptacles for the deposit of such containers are already in place in a number of areas. My Department is at present engaging with local authorities, Repak and other relevant stakeholders regarding the possibility of incorporating plastic containers in the kerbside green bin collection services presently provided to over 560,000 households nationally. Such arrangements, if introduced, offer significant potential for increased recovery of plastic containers.
