Sir, – The latest round of protests about paying for public services ignores the great green elephant in the room. The issue is not that recycling is expensive or troublesome for the householder, and it is not that the recycling companies are predictably trying to maximise their profits.
We separate our green bottles from our clear bottles, our dry card from our soggy potato peelings and think ourselves very virtuous. And then what happens? Does anyone know? Is anyone in Ireland actually making glass bottles from all our “recycled” glass? Is anyone here making paper or other products from recycled packaging? Is it not the case that the whole lot is bundled up and shipped out of the country to God knows where to be “recycled” by God knows whom?
Unless and until a genuine local industry is making some use of our carefully separated waste, then this whole charade will be what it is now – a load of rubbish. – Yours, etc,
ARTHUR DEENY,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.