ARCHIVES...PRE-GREYMATTER EDITIONS...CONTACT THE PAPER...MAILING LIST
[Previous Item] [Latest Issue] [Next Item]
| LATEST LOCAL NEWS |
Earthwatch Welcomes Plastic Bag Tax
Published 19/03/2002From March 4th 2002, an environmental levy will be charged, at 15 cent per bag, on plastic shopping bags. This levy is being introduced to reduce the huge number of plastic shopping bags used every day that cause litter in our towns, in the countryside and along our coastline.
Earthwatch/ Friends of the Earth Ireland welcomes the new plastic bag tax due to be implemented on Monday 4th March. Take a bow Minister Dempsey! We have campaigned on the issue for many years with our 'Drastic Plastic' campaign and it is good to see the government taking notice of us. We believe that it should be the beginning of a series of initiatives to reduce the waste mountain building up in the Republic and should be supported by everyone. We are concerned, however, that the information campaign by the government has not been sufficient and that some people, possibly the poorer sectors, are going to get a shock next week as their weekly shopping bill goes up. This could lead to a backlash against what is a very useful and necessary project.
The amount of waste produced by plastics bags is considerable, at approximately 325 bags per person per year in Ireland and this initiative should drastically cut down on that consumption . Reuse, which is the most desirable option in reducing waste, should be given a great boost by this tax and we look forward to the day when everyone brings their shopping home in reusable bags. We also look forward to the day when the countryside is not destroyed by plastic bags. The revenues collected will not go into the exchequer but rather to fund environmental initiatives and that is to be welcomed as well. We are delighted to be able to say that we support the government on this initiative and hope that it will become an accepted and necessary idea to tackle the growing waste problem.
Homepage
Local Directory
Brief History
The Gallery
Event Guide
Guest Book
Local Maps
Register your Business
Contact Webmaster
Family History
Riviera Accommodation
Riviera Gift Shop
Riviera News
IF YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT THIS SITE THROUGH A SEARCH ENGINE
AND ARE VIEWING THIS PAGE ON ITS OWN,
PLEASE GO TO OUR FRAMED HOMEPAGE
http://www.dun-laoghaire.com