I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis na Teachtaí Boyle, Connolly, Joe Higgins agus Ferris.
Seo an chéad deis ag an gComhaontas Glas reachtaíocht a thabhairt os comhair na Dála seo. Tá ceist os ár gcomhair atá an-thábhachtach i saol agus i dtodhchaí an náisiúin. Is é an reachtaíocht sin an Bille um Bainistiú Dramhaíola (Leasú), 2002.
Statements will be made in this debate which will stand the test of time or will be found to be flawed to the point of being dangerous. The Green Party seeks to remedy a number of the flaws in the Waste Management Act, 1996, and the Waste Management (Amendment) Act, 2001. This Bill seeks to enshrine in law a ban on incineration, to require targets to be set to implement waste minimisation, to ensure local councillors are responsible as well as accountable for waste policy for their administrative areas and to ensure that for the first time, the definition of a zero waste strategy is enshrined in law.
We are at a cross-roads in regard to incineration. I spoke to people from different countries on the telephone about this issue. It is clear people from countries with incineration believe, in many cases, there is another way. Unlike those countries, we have the benefit of hindsight. Technology has moved on. With alkaline hydrolysis, an approved technology in the United States and, we expect, soon to be approved in the European Union, incineration is not required for BSE infected material. Chemclaving and autoclaving is available in regard to medical and hazardous waste. There are many ways to minimise waste which were not available previously when people had to face the issue of waste management.
For those reasons, I seek a frank debate in the House and, based on the technology we now have, to put forward a policy which will ensure Ireland remains incineration free. That will be of immense benefit not only to the health and food safety record of this country but will be an important benefit in marketing our food internationally, particularly our meat and dairy produce.
I implore the Minister to take this legislation on board. It may not be the Government's final word on the matter, which we are prepared to accept. However, the Minister should at least accept the spirit in which it is offered, that is, as a timely amendment to the Waste Management (Amendment) Act which will ensure incineration does not become a spectre on the Irish environment and that the future of this country lies in following an incineration free and zero waste strategy.
The Government must show leadership as well as ensure democracy is allowed to be part of the Irish political scene. Under the 1996 Act regional plans were permitted in lieu of local plans in administrative areas and I ask that that be reviewed. This Bill provides a requirement that each administrative area have its own waste management plan. That does not preclude a regional plan being the final part of a waste management strategy but it should not be in lieu of a local administrative area plan. This is analogous to the local development plan which, naturally, follows the administrative boundaries. The same should be true of the waste plan initially so that local accountability is maintained and democracy is rooted in the administrative area of the local council.
A zero waste strategy will be the most enlightened path a country can take when dealing with waste. It is as enlightened as looking for zero road tragedies and road accidents. The Minister will know more than most how difficult it is to attain that but, nonetheless, it does not stop him setting targets seeking zero road deaths. I commend the target in regard to road deaths but there should be similar political will to ensure zero waste in time. A strategy should be put in place with targets set for waste minimisation. Once those targets are reached, the targets may be pushed forward towards zero waste. That is perfectly feasible and is a practice being followed. I acknowledge nobody has reached it but it is the way forward.