This article is from page 7 of the 2005-11-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
THERE has been angry reaction to Clare being left out of recycling grants totaling €9m nationally, including a €2.6 million cash boost for Limerick recycling projects.
Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Env1- ronment, Heritage and Local Government announced last week that he was making a further €9m from the Environment Fund in capital assistance for local authority recy- cling facilities.
Limerick’s grant is the highest in the list with projects for the county and Mungret at- tracting €2,605,547.
An angry Green Party representative and Clare County Councillor, Brian Meaney, said that blame for the dearth of cash com- ing the Clare way had “to be laid firmly at the feet of our lacklustre national represent- atives. Limerick has strong clout in terms of its TDs and Ministers and it shows, when it comes to the amount of money that has been allocated.”
OTA rian y Ne Mdet-lmmaelomcet iA ae moe ce ing out for proper recycling facilities. The main recycling facility in Ennis doesn’t even open until noon. We need bring centers and we need a substantial facility in East Clare and Shannon, in particular, needs a bring centre. I’m just at a loss to see how Clare can be left out.”
He added that there should be “urgent investment in facilities in Clare if we are serious about diverting waste from landfill. Clare has got the rough end of the stick in Web ne
Announcing the grants, Minister Roche said that he was “aware that other local au- thority proposals are being developed or be- ing evaluated by my Department and I will be announcing further allocations as local authorities develop and formally submit their proposals.”
The Capital Grants Scheme 1s provided for in the Regional Operational Programmes (2000-2006) which are managed by the Re- gional Assemblies and is targeted towards the provision of recycling infrastructure, which reflects the waste hierarchy.
Other areas given grants under the scheme included Wicklow County Council, which received €1.1 million, Cork County Council, which received €530,400 and Fin- gal County Council, which was awarded €541,650.
In a statement accompanying the an- nouncement of the grants, the Minister said that he was “confident that these additional projects now being funded will help to build on the already significant awareness of the need to recycle and will further improve the levels of recycling throughout the country.”