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[Press Release: July 30th, 2004] Greens advise public to make submissions on Wicklow Waste Management planThe Green Party has called on residents of Wicklow to take advantage of the current opportunity to make submissions on the Replacement Wicklow Waste Management Plan. According to Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, Wicklow County Council has placed advertisements in local papers informing the public that it is reviewing the existing County Waste Management Plan and commencing the preparation of a Replacement Waste Management Plan."The review will pay particular attention to the issues of information on the quantities of waste arising and projections for the future, the National Biodegradable (organic) Waste Strategy, Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the roles of the local authority and the private sector in the area of waste" says Cllr de Burca. The Green councillor believes that the current review process gives a chance to those who do not want incinerators or superdumps in the county, who want to see more recycling facilities, and who want to see government to take real action in waste prevention to put their ideas forward to the local authority. "As far as the Green Party is concerned we would like to see stronger waste legislation being introduced, for example placing a levy on packaging that cannot be reused or recycled. We also want to see greatly improved recycling facilities in the county, in particular comprehensive recycling centres for Bray and Greystones, and more central composting facilities and construction and demolition waste recycling facilities. These facilities are long overdue" she says. The Green Party councillor also points out that members of the public may want to express their opposition to the virtual monopoly in waste collection that has developed, particularly in the north of the county. "Waste collection charges are not competitive becuase you only have one big player dominating the market" she says. "The local authority must act in a regulatory capacity and ensure that true competition flourishes in the waste sector. To date the privatisation of waste collection services has been a disaster for the public" she adds.
All written submissions on the County Waste Plan must be made to Wicklow County Council by 4pm on Wednesday 15th September. The submissions should be addressed to:
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