RECYCLING: Many companies are avoiding their legal obligations on recycling waste packaging, according to Repak, the industry-funded waste-packaging compliance scheme.

Repak has called on all political parties to address the State's need for recycling infrastructure.

There is no single body taking responsibility for the Republic's recycling targets, said Mr Andrew Hetherington, Repak chief executive. There is a need for an enforcement body to oversee implementation of EU obligations, he says.

Dramatic action will be required by the next government if EU recycling targets for the Republic are to be met for 2005, particularly so given the recent closure of Irish Glass in Ringsend, Dublin, Mr Hetherington said.

"There is a need for the establishment of an enforcement body which will eliminate the free-riders who are not meeting their legal obligations in relation to packaging waste recycling," he said.

Repak is a not-for-profit members-based compliance scheme established as industry's response to EU obligations on packaging waste. Its membership increased by 15 per cent in 2001, to 852 members. "However, it is clear that many companies in Ireland are not meeting their legal obligations in this regard," said Mr Hetherington.

The Republic has few indigenous packaging manufacturing companies. "Hence there is little commercial need for facilities to reprocess used packaging into new packaging. There is only one paper recycling facility, no glass or metal recycling facilities and very little plastics recycling undertaken in Ireland."

Mr Hetherington said the need to get other countries to accept material collected here adds to the cost of recycling.

Currently there are only 1,239 "bring banks" in the Republic. Based on the European average of one site per 1,000 of population, the Republic needs 3,721 bring banks. Repak is committed to spending €2.5 million this year and in 2003 in the creation of new bring centres, according to Mr Hetherington.

He said local authority regulations should encourage the installation of new sites. "We also believe that guidelines should be set out for the inclusion of bring centres in any new retail or residential development."

He called on the next government to establish an executive body that would monitor progress on recycling infrastructure, the enforcement of legal obligations and the management of government funds.