Sir, – It is disappointing to see that the Irish Waste Management Association is opposing Government plans for a deposit-and-refund scheme for beverage containers ("IWMA calls for deposit-and-refund scheme to be scrapped", News, August 24th).
People from all over the northeast of the country have shown support for a greener environment by travelling to the Market Square shopping centre in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, to recycle 100,000 plastic bottles.
While kerbside collections are fine, tens of thousands of beverage containers never make it to recycling bins and end up littering our streets, parks and roadsides, Most of these containers have been around for a long time, are possibly contaminated and are unfit for recycling.
Many European countries enjoy the success of retail outlets giving the facility of reverse vending machines: dispensing 10 cent vouchers to their customers for every can and plastic bottle recycled.
If, as reported, up to 200,000 plastic bottles are bought and discarded every day, surely such a large market has room for different types of waste management and recycling. – Yours, etc,
TOM RYAN,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.