Environment minister, John Gormley, has announced a total of €12 million, to be handed out in two waves, to local authorities to support the operating costs of recycling facilities.

Mr Gormley announced the first of €6 million in funding to assist local authorities in meeting the costs of their bring banks and civic amenity facilities for the period July to December 2009.

The funding represents an increase of €400,000 on the cash provided for the period January to June 2009.

And a further €6 million will be made available to cover the period January to June 2010.

Mr Gormley said: “We have begun to change in a fundamental way our attitude to waste.

“We have not only accepted that a throwaway society is an unsustainable society but, because of the fundamental change in our attitude to waste, we have become a recycling society.”

The minister also said the allocations were based, as in previous years, on a combination of weighted tonnage and net operating costs, with particular emphasis being given to the higher costs of dealing with certain waste streams such as hazardous waste and plastics.

A further €1 million of funding has been set aside to support those civic amenity sites which remain open to the public at weekends.

Luke Walsh

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