P r e s s R e l e a s e

Fighting the war against waste

For release 8th July 1997

The problem of waste management is finally being addressed. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council welcome the recent initiatives in fighting the war against waste and are relieved to hear that a long term waste management strategy is currently being prepared for Dublin.

It is now recognised that the quantity of waste produced in Ireland, approximately one tonne per household each year, is unsustainable and so too is the manner in which it is disposed of. In theory 70-80% of household waste can be recycled or re-used. The current national rate of recycling is only 4.5%, a figure which has actually decreased in the last three years.

The new government expressed their concern about the crisis in landfill in their pre-election manifesto. They noted the alarming fact that in the lifetime of the next Dail, sixty seven of the ninety nine landfill sites currently being operated by local authorities, will be full. They have proposed a national plan co-ordinated by one body which should include the implementation of a waste hierarchy of prevention, minimisation, recycling, waste-to-energy and disposal. They have promised that only when all other options are exhausted will they allow landfill to be considered.

A recent European Commission initiative, the Landfill Directive aims to ensure higher uniform standards for the landfill of waste throughout the European Union, to encourage a reduction in the production of waste and give higher priority to recycling. Under the new directive the percentage of organic waste dumped must be reduced to 75% of biodegradable waste in the year 2002 and 25% in the year 2010, the remainder will have to be recycled.

"This new emphasis on waste management gives everyone a real chance to recycle much more organic waste", says Dr. Peter Foss, chairman of IPCC. He adds "this will reduce the amount of rubbish dumped in landfills and produce a huge quantity of compost that can be used instead of peat which in turn can be left in the bogs where it can support wildlife".

In response to the many queries received about composting the IPCC are in the process of producing a booklet about community composting which will be available from our offices in October. The pack is being sponsored by The Heritage Council.

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EDITOR'S NOTE 1: The Irish Peatland Conservation Council is a national charity and is entirely supported by voluntary contributions. Conservation projects include: purchasing bogland nature reserves, providing resources and training for teachers and education groups, repairing damaged bogs, fostering a positive attitude towards bogs, and encouraging lifestyles in harmony with the environment. The IPCC can be contacted at: Capel Chambers, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01-872 2397. Registered Charity Number: CHY6829

EDITOR'S NOTE 2: The Irish Peatland Conservation Council gratefully acknowledges Indigo who have sponsored our pages on the World Wide Web.

EDITOR'S NOTE 3: The work of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council is supported by FAS Community Employment.

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