Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2005
446 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if incentives can or will be offered to enable extra recycling facilities to be put in place to serve north Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7776/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraWaste management planning is primarily a function of local government. Local authorities must take responsibility for ensuring that facilities identified as being necessary in their regional waste management plans are provided.
Since 2002, over €50 million has been allocated nationally from the environment fund, financed by the proceeds generated by the landfill and plastic bag levies, in capital grant assistance towards the provision of waste recycling and recovery facilities by local authorities. Of this amount, €1.971 million has been allocated to Kildare County Council for the establishment of two civic amenity recycling centres and one composting facility. This has been supplemented by capital funding from Repak, the packaging waste compliance scheme established by industry to co-ordinate and finance the collection and recovery of packaging waste, towards the expansion of the bring bank network in County Kildare.
The level of capital funding provided towards the implementation of the regional waste management plans has been a primary driver in the significant progress being made towards meeting our ambitious recycling and recovery targets. A further call for projects requiring funding under my Department's waste infrastructure capital grants scheme has recently been issued. I hope to allocate a fourth major tranche of funding before the summer.
In addition to providing capital support to local authorities for recycling and recovery facilities, funding is also provided from the environment fund on an ongoing basis towards the operating costs of such facilities. To date, Kildare County Council has received €229,000 towards the increasing operating costs of its bring banks and civic amenity recycling centres.
