I am aware that the company in question, which is involved in the collection of metal cans for subsequent export and reprocessing, is experiencing market difficulties arising from a significant downturn in world prices for metal recyclables.
Most if not all waste cans which are collected for recovery in this country are exported to a single reprocessor in the UK. I understand that Repak Ltd., which was established by industry to promote and facilitate the recycling/recovery of packaging waste, is in discussion with this UK concern, with a view to securing arrangements which would benefit all Irish suppliers of this recyclable material.
The National Waste Database, NWD, report published by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1996 indicates that in 1995 – 7.8 per cent of municipal waste was recycled; almost 22 per cent of packaging waste in the municipal and non-hazardous industrial waste streams was recycled; and 17.3 per cent of reported industrial waste arisings were recovered.
The NWD is currently being updated in respect of 1998.
The 1994 National Recycling Strategy Recycling for Ireland, set an overall target of diverting 20 per cent of household and commercial waste from landfill through recycling by 1999, and a target recycling rate of 30 per cent for packaging waste by 1999.
EU Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste requires that Ireland attain the following targets: recovery of a minimum of 25 per cent by weight of packaging waste by 30 June, 2001; and recovery, before the end of 2005, of a minimum of 50 per cent and a maximum of 65 per cent by weight of packaging waste, to include an overall recycling target of 25 per cent, with a minimum recycling rate of 15 per cent for each individual packaging material.
Repak Ltd. was granted approval for the purposes of the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations, 1997 on the basis, inter alia, that it would achieve an overall target recycling rate of 27 per cent for packaging waste by 2001.
