An ambitious drive to cut the amount of waste going into landfills by more than a third has been started by Waterford County Council.
In a move which could also benefit other counties in the south-east, the council plans to form a co-operative responsible for maximising the recycling of waste.
If the venture is successful, 35 per cent of Co Waterford's waste could be going for recycling by 2002, more than a decade ahead of a target set by the Government for local authorities two years ago.
The council is seeking a contractor to collect recyclable material from homes and from 40 centres to be established in the county, so that people can deposit paper, cardboard, glass, drink and food cans, textiles and plastic. It has committed £170,000 to the service for next year and hopes to have it in operation by July.
Mr Paul Daly, a senior executive engineer with the council, said talks were currently taking place with other local authorities in the region, with a view to having them participate in the scheme. The council hopes to establish a non-profit co-operative with, initially, the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, the Chambers of Commerce of Dungarvan and Tramore, and Repak, the recycling agency funded by businesses.
Support is also being sought from the Department of the Environment and Local Government and Dungarvan Urban District Council.
As well as setting up deposit centres, the scheme would involve the fortnightly collection of recyclable goods from households in Tramore and Dungarvan, the biggest two urban areas in the county outside of Waterford city, which is run by a separate local authority. The collection service would be free.
Twice-yearly door-to-door collections of textiles in Dungarvan and Tramore, as well as annual collection of "bulky goods" from all participating households, are also envisaged. The weekly collection of glass from pubs and hotels and the distribution of home composting units to all households in the county, at a price of £10 each, are other elements of the project.
Businesses will be invited to participate for an agreed annual fee. It is proposed to recoup the cost of the scheme through a variety of means, including customer collection fees, income from the value of the collected waste, and cost-savings arising from the diversion of waste from landfills.
Mr Daly said recycling initiatives to date had suffered from "one fellow with a van" syndrome. "Basically that's what recycling has involved in this country up to now. A service can be there one day and not the next. We're trying to move it on to a different level by having the local authority take responsibility for it."
