Wasting opportunities - Small changes would make a big difference

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen was hardly granted a moment to savour last weekend’s Lisbon victory before he was reminded, as if he needed reminding, that he faces far greater challenges ahead. He is not alone, we all do.

Lisbon and the banking and economic crisis pale when compared with the consequences of unfettered climate change and our seeming inability to reduce the ever-increasing quantities of waste we generate.

The OECD tell us that household waste in its 30 member states increased from 546m tonnes, in 1995, to 614m a decade later. Our commitment to recycling — 36% of municipal waste, 65% of packaging — has not reduced the quantity of waste we generate.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warn that we produce over twice as much waste as we did a decade ago. The agency believes that up to 20% of households do not use waste collection services at all.

Some of this may be taken to recycling centres or landfill sites but more of it is illegally burned. Even more of it, far too much of it, is shamefully and illegally dumped on the back roads around our towns and cities.

Waste is a consequence of wealth. A decade ago the richest 20% of the world’s population consumed the vast majority — 86% — of its resources. The poorest consumed just 1.3%. Considerable proportions of that 86% were wasted while so many others went without.

This daft behaviour is seen at its most extreme when you consider how much food we buy but dump. Last year,

WRAP, Britain’s national agency for reducing waste, reported that £10bn worth of food was thrown away. The situation in Ireland, most probably, is similar.

Such waste is not only, well, wasteful but it is stupid and immoral. Yet we are nearly all guilty through negligence, indifference or imagining that we don’t have the capabilities or time to do what we might. Not so. A series of small changes would go a long way to reducing Ireland’s waste mountain.

Our waste mountain is a result of deeply ingrained cultural mores.

We can’t really continue as we are and, hopefully, a greater awareness will help end this flagrance, or at least slow its growth.

In this context the Green Schools’ initiative is welcome and will go a long way towards fostering new attitudes. However, we do not have the luxury of waiting until today’s primary school children are this country’s decision makers to solve this problem.

With just over 60 days left to the crucial climate summit in Copenhagen we must act on the realisation that we cannot afford to generate the quantities of waste we do, economically, socially or environmentally.