Sir, - In the year when local authorities are supposed to be drawing up plans for sustainable development for their areas in accordance with Local Agenda 21, why are there still more and more plans for landfill dumps? I cannot agree with Professor Convery's and Senator Roche's view that paying local residents compensation for having a landfill site on their doorstep is the only realistic solution to the problem (Irish, Times, April 10th). I see it as only encouraging the need for landfill sites and overlooking the primary cause of the problem.
You have raised the point yourself, in your editorial of February 2nd, that plans for recycling do not address the real issue, that of over production of waste and the conflicts between producers and consumers with regard to packaging. The people of this country have shown that they are concerned about the environment, that they are ready to participate in schemes which help to alleviate waste problems (witness the very successful uptake of the Kerbside doorstep collection system in Dublin). They are quite happy to buy "own brand" products which cut out the mark up in price, due to elaborate packaging, sometimes as much as 25 per cent.
I believe that they would willingly take part in schemes which reduce waste at source, such as refill systems and doing without unnecessary layers of packaging, given the right support structures by local authorities and businesses. The IBEC REPAK scheme does not touch on reduction of waste, only recycling. This is not the way forward.
There should be a 70 per cent focus on waste reduction at source by all those drawing up plans to deal with waste. Only then will we come anyway near to solving the problem. - Yours, etc.,
(Chairwoman),
Irish Women's
Environmental Network, Carmichael House, North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7.