Vol. 452 No. 8
151 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Environment if his Department has undertaken any survey regarding the damage caused to the environment and to marine and bird life by the continuing use of plastic bags. [8861/95]
It is well known that the careless disposal of packaging and other types of waste can have a significant detrimental effect on the environment in terms of the adverse visual impact of litter. Many types of litter, including plastic bags, can also cause injury and distress to marine and bird life. Information and comment on the adverse effects of various types of litter is contained in various publications, including the reports of surveys of coastal areas carried out by Coastwatch Europe. The quality status report on maritime areas, which will be prepared under the auspices of the Oslo/Paris Commission and will, inter alia, cover the Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea, will include an assessment of the impact of garbage on the marine environment.
A number of reports have been commissioned by my Department in relation to packaging waste generally. Regarding plastic bags specifically, I refer to the replies to Question No. 84 of 6 April 1995 and Question No. 60 of 9 May 1995. These make it clear that appropriate measures to deal with this form of packaging will be considered in the context of the further implementation of the Government's recycling strategy, to which an industry task force is currently responding, and of the Waste Bill which I intend to publish shortly.
