Vol. 554 No. 5
1472 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the percentage of newspapers used each day here which came from recycled paper; and his views on whether the industry is doing enough to recycle its paper. [15782/02]
1588 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his proposals to establish procedural responsibilities initiatives in 2002 to recycle newsprint, tyres and batteries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17242/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1472 and 1588 together.
The policy statement, Preventing and Recycling Waste: Delivering Change, contains objectives to establish producer responsibility initiatives to recycle newsprint, tyres and batteries. My Department does not have information regarding the percentage of newspapers utilising recycled paper. However, it has been estimated that around 150,000 tonnes of newsprint are generated annually in Ireland. Following dialogue with representatives of the print media industry, my Department expects proposals for a producer responsibility initiative (PRI) to recycle newsprint to be submitted in the near future.
A proposal for a PRI for waste tyres has been submitted for endorsement to my Department by the Irish Tyre Industry Association. This proposal is under consideration at present and I will respond to it shortly. A number of collection systems are in place to recover car and other batteries. The policy statement recognises a need for more systematic arrangements for this waste stream, and my Department is initiating dialogue with the relevant sectors to devise and agree a suitable PRI scheme.
