Why it makes sense to provide recycling centres free of charge

In the past
Carndonagh's Recycling Centre worked for a decade as an exemplary facility taking back most of the materials. People did appreciate it in separating and returning their household waste in a disciplined manner. Bringing recyclates was generally free. The official recycling rate all over the county was 31% in 2008.



Currently
May 2009 the Donegal County Council imposed charges between 10 and 60 Euro and even higher on most of the recyclates brought to the Recycling Centre. Some of the materials are no more taken at all. The consumer price for recycling and ordinary waste removal are identical in this county. The result of that politic has been dramatic. The amenity sites are almost abandoned. Fly tipping and back yard fires have increased since. One after the other of such scandals could be seen in the local media and poses a real threat not only on our tourist industry. The recycling rate in Donegal is down to 15% at current stage, which is the second last rank after Carlow (13%). The Irish Government's target of recycling household waste is 75% until 2013.



Outlook
Ireland is paying increasingly more fines for not forfilling the European specification of 67% recycling. Removing garbage from the country side costs the County Council at least 1,000 Euro per metric ton. Hundreds of new tons have already been spotted. Tourists are no more coming back. Recycling goes dramatically down. More waste is ending up on landfill or anywhere else in our environment.

Not a fraction of that damage already caused can really be paid off by any of those charges at the Recycling Centres. The Donegal County Council's politics need a u-turn in that matter. People should be encouraged for recycling, not being charged for.

Amenity Centres in Donegal should be free of charge for all recycling!

Ireland needs its own recycling industry. Instead of paying twice when we are shipping the recyclates abroad and then reimporting the raw materials again, we could create sustainable jobs in the country.


Citizens Against Recycling Charges (CARC), c/o Charlie Williams, Carndonagh, email: charlie2williams@live.co.uk