"Bring Back Your Packaging"

dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | event notice Thursday December 11, 2003 18:24 by Crumlin/ Drimnagh/ Walkinstown/ Terenure Anti Bin Tax Campai

Press Notice

“Bring Back Your Packaging”

Tonight, 11th December 2003, 7.15 pm

Crumlin Shopping Centre and SuperQuinn on Sundrive Road

In order to highlight the fact that householders are not waste producers but waste receivers and also to highlight the failure of outlets to provide recycling facilities despite section 29(i) of Waste Management Act 1996, Anti Bin Tax Campaigns in Dublin City are organising a “bring back your packaging” event at 7.15 tonight at Crumlin Shopping centre and at SuperQuinn on the Sundrive Road.

The text of the letter that the Anti Bin Tax Campaigns will hand in to the managers of the Shopping centres is as follows:

Dear Manager

Section 29(i) of the Waste Management Act 1996 clearly states:

29(i) requires the owner or manager of a Supermarket, service station or other sales outlet to provide, free of charge, specified facilities at such an outlet for the removal by customers of packaging or substances purchased by them at that outlet, and the receptacles for the deposit of such packaging.

The following Section
29(j) requires the owner or manager of a Supermarket etc, to impose a charge of any bag, container or other such packaging in relation to products or substances purchased by the customer at that sales outlet, etc

It appears that one piece of legislation can be implemented with vigour and another piece can be ignored. Hiding behind REPAK does not discharge you of your responsibility to provide section 29(i) of the legislation. Either your Supermarket or REPAK must provide free of charge facilities for the removal by customers of packaging purchased or on sale in your Supermarket. I am a valued customer and shop here week in week out, every week of the year. I sincerely wish to continue to do so. Therefore, I as a customer, consumer, environmentalist, a recycling fanatic and someone who demands that my rights be recognised, request that you implement this piece of progressive legislation.

It would certainly be an important and attractive reason why people would be encouraged to shop in your Supermarket, particularly now that the consumer is much more environmentally conscious. I am leaving my packaging behind as I shop / bringing back my packaging from my last visit as I have no other option if the above facilities are not available to me. It is seven years since this legislation was introduced surely it is seven years too late.

I am not breaking the law, are you? Your implementation of this facility would be welcomed by your customers and the Community.


Minister Cullen, minister of the Environment can be contacted at Leinster House (01)6623929: email martin.cullen@finace.irlgov.ie





FACTS ABOUT RECYCLING
The environmental Protection Agency report 2001(most recent report) states that 92.6% of paper from households went to landfill. 70.9% of glass and 99.4% of plastics from households went to landfill!!!. These figures are a damning indictment of the failure of this Government to
Provide accessible recycling facilities for householders and
To put in place proper recycling facilities nationwide to deal with the Environmental crises facing our Nation and the problem of landfill.

As part of the propaganda campaign to have the Bin Tax implemented, the Minister of the Environment and other frequently attempt to make people feel as if we are responsible for the bulk of waste. (The advertisement depicting waste engulfing communities). The fact is that households nationally account for a small proportion of all waste produced and for less than 15% of waste going to landfill.

A favourite slogan of the Minister and the pro Bin Tax lobby is “The Polluter Pays” applying this to householders. This slogan is wrong. All the evidence shows that we are waste receivers, not waste producers or polluters and would have far less materials to dispose of if commercial and retail outlets cut down on packaging and if the proper recycling infrastructure existed. Instead we have seen the disgraceful closure of the Irish Glass bottle factory, the only glass recycling facility in Ireland. Section 29(i) of the Waste Management Act clearly identifies retail outlets responsibility to provide disposal facilities. Please lobby your Supermarket to implement these facilities. Get a petition up and running on your street/workplace. Leave your packaging in your Supermarket when you shop. Ask where are the facilities to return your waste when you bring back your packaging to your place of purchase.

We are not the waste polluter. Every day we take home an enormous amount of waste and are then told we have to pay a Bin Tax (double taxation) for the privilege of separating it and its collection. The City Manager is increasing the Bin Tax for 2004 by 23% to ÿ195. He wanted to increase it to at least ÿ390 but in what seems like a cynical election ploy is keeping the increase low!!!!! On Monday 15th of December, 6.15 pm at City Hall, Cllrs will be voting on the estimates for 2004, which will include the Bin Tax increase. Come to the protest, contact your Councillors and let them know your opposition to this double Tax. 700 people at a meeting in the Transport Club on Thursday 27th of November let our Councillors know their opposition and their determination not to pay the Bin Tax. Continue that show of strength. Come to the protest.

Please support Oxigen workers on strike for trade Union recognition, decent pay and conditions. To show your support give your Green Bin back to Oxigen. Do not leave your green bin out for collection. Contact SIPTU for more info: Local Authorities Branch, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1, 01-8586491/8586494.