Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2004
433 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the policy of the Government in regard to re-use and recycling of farm plastics in relation to complaints by farmers about importation of such plastic lately. [20573/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with the principle of producer responsibility, measures are required to ensure that systems are set up to provide for the return and-or collection of used packaging, and for the reuse or recovery, including recycling, of the packaging waste collected, to assist in meeting the packaging waste recovery and recycling targets set for Ireland in Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste. Producer responsibility initiatives already operate in the areas of packaging waste and farm plastics waste, that is, Repak in the case of packaging waste and the Irish Farm Film Producers' Group in the case of farm plastics, for example, silage bale wrap and sheeting. In these cases, producers are required to take steps to recover waste or alternatively to contribute to, and participate in, compliance schemes set up to recover the waste in question.
The farm plastics recovery scheme, operated by the Irish Farm Film Producers' Group, IFFPG, since 1997, has been very successful in recovering waste farm plastics. The IFFPG is the sole approved body in Ireland for the purposes of implementing a compliance scheme for farm plastics. The scheme has made consistent and steady progress since its inception, resulting in the collection of approximately 9,500 tonnes of waste farm plastics in 2003, that is, circa 50% of the farm plastics placed on the market in that year.
While I am aware of the increasing replacement of paper packaging with plastic in the agricultural sector, particularly in the areas of animal feed and vegetable packaging, under Article 18 of the packaging directive member states are prohibited from impeding the placing on the market of packaging that satisfies the provisions of the directive, that is, which is in accordance with the essential requirements specified in annex II of the directive as to the composition and reusable and recoverable nature of packaging. However, I am anxious to build on the success of the farm plastics scheme and my Department will, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, look at ways in which recovery and recycling in this sector can be further developed.
