Sir, - I am glad to see that I was not the only one incensed to discover that there are no longer any paper recycling facilities in Dun Laoghaire (Deasun Breathnach in An Irishman's Diary, September 2nd). However, upon arrival at the rear of Iceland with my rucksack full of old Irish Times, I was given a different reason for the removal of the service. I was informed that there was a glut in the market for recycled paper and that Smurfits, who collected the paper, had no need of it any more.
If the Government is serious about tackling environmental issues then we should be seeing advertisements which encourage the recycling not just of paper but all our household rubbish, and which promote the use of products made from recycled goods, thereby shifting any glut which may occur.
Perhaps we should take a leaf from the French farmers' book of protest. Niamh Bhreathnach's suggestion that we dump our old newspapers on the doorstep of the County Hall is an excellent idea. The French, of course, have a successful revolution at the root of their culture and know how to protest. In Ireland the attitude seems to be either that someone else will look after the problem, or that "sure, it'll be all right".
Where is the people power in this country? - Yours, etc.,
Nicholas Harvey, Crosthwaite Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.