Galway for a Safe Environment
Tuesday March 5th, 2002GSE Welcomes Tax on Disposable Plastic Bags
Concern that Tax Will be Used to Fund Incinerators
Through Loophole in Legislation

Environment Fund Should be Aimed at Waste Reduction, Recycling and CompostingGalway for Safe Environment today welcomed the new 15 cent tax on disposable plastic bags, but expressed concern that the tax will be used to fund incinerators rather than recycling intitiatives.

Spokesperson, Áine Suttle, said that " the overwhelming majority of people will welcome this tax - as it will encourage people to use re-usable carrier bags, instead of the single-use disposable bag which will last in landfills for over 100 years".

However, important clauses in the Waste Management Amendment Act of 2001 and the Waste Management Act of 1996, mean that the taxes raised through the plastic bag levy and the forthcoming landfill levy could be diverted to subsidise the building of cancer-causing incinerators, instead of funding recycling initiatives.

Section 11 of the 2001 Act allows for the creation of an Environmental Fund to "support a range of measures including programmes or schemes to prevent or reduce waste, operation of waste recovery activities, litter prevention, environmental partnership projects and environmental awareness, education and training".

However, the 1996 Waste Management Act, includes in its definition of 13 waste recovery activities the following: "Use of any waste principally as a fuel or other means to generate energy", which clearly gives Energy from Waste/ Incineration/ Thermal Treatment/ Waste to Energy the same status as recycling.

"This loophole would allow the Government to divert money from the Environment Fund to subsidise the 8 large municipal waste incinerators that they are planning to build around the country, including the Connacht Incinerator, still being planned for the outskirts of Galway City", said Áine Suttle.

"Not only is there a lack of transparency here, but the Government is also in breach of the EU Waste Hierarchy by putting recycling and incineration on the same level, as the Waste Hierarchy clearly places recycling above incineration, i.e. as being more desirable"

"We are calling for Government transparency on this issue - the Minister for the Environment needs to spell out what exactly this Environment Fund (which is expected to raise up to 100 million Euro per year through th plastic bag levy and a landfill levy) - is to be used for.", said Áine Suttle.
"We are calling for a commitment that this fund will not be used to fund the building of incinerators, but will instead focus on recycling, reduction and composting initiatives"

"The people of Galway City, who have the most successful household recycling system in the country, with over 63% diversion from landfill achieved in less than a year - have never received a single penny from Government coffers to support this intitiative - with Galway Corporation having to fund the initiative by a special loan. This is clearly not good enough", said Áine Suttle of GSE.
Confirmation: Áine Suttle, 091-581047, Conchúr Ó Brádaigh 086-2830452Notes for Editors:Waste Management Amendment Act, 2001
8. POWER TO IMPOSE ENVIRONMENTAL LEVY.
This section allows the minister to impose the "plastic bag tax"
This is the quote from the bill
" The central aims of this Bill are to:
... provide for the introduction of an environmental levy on plastic shopping bags and for a levy on the landfill of waste, establish an Environment Fund, to be funded from revenues from the new levies"11. ENVIRONMENT FUND

Section 8 provides:
"that the Minister may make regulations to specify various matters
relating to the collection of the levy, payment into the
Environment Fund, and associated administrative matters,............"
Section 11 provides for the establishment of an Environment Fund
to be managed and controlled by the Minister and to be audited by
the Comptroller and Auditor General. The section provides that the
Minister may pay money from the Fund for a range of measures
including programmes or schemes to prevent or reduce waste, operation
of waste recovery activities, litter prevention, environmental
partnership projects and environmental awareness, education and
trainingWaste Management Act, 1996

Under the Waste Management Act 1996, incineration is put on a par with
recycling . The Fourth Schedule, Section 4 (4), Title 2Waste Recovery
Activities" has 13 activities which include, recycling of organics
substances, metals etc but also includes the following:
"9. Use of any waste principally as a fuel or other means to generate
energy."

This gives Energy from Waste/Incineration/Thermal Treatment/Waste to Energy,
or any of the other names that this technology has had or will have, the
same status as recycling.