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THE GREEN PARTY has called on the Irish government to follow in the footsteps of the Scottish who announced last week that it is planning to introduce a deposit return scheme for bottles and cans.
However, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, is not budging on the issue, arguing that such a scheme could cost an estimated €120 million.
Earlier this week, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon backed plans to introduce the system under which shoppers will be able to cash in on old bottles.
Customers in Scotland will pay a surcharge when purchasing bottles or cans under the programme, which will be refunded when they return them to a shop.
Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan said he welcomed the announcement that a bottle deposit scheme is to be rolled out across Scotland, and urged the government to back the Waste Reduction Bill, which passed to second stage in the Dáil last term.
Scotland’s plans
“If Scotland can introduce a deposit return scheme, there is no reason why we can’t do the same. All we need is the political will from government to see this common sense Bill enacted,” he said.
However, government sources said the minister is “very strong” in his opposition of such a scheme.
The minister previously said he was concerned about the lack of clarity about the potential costs deposit and return scheme to the exchequer”. The statement added:
Deputy Ryan has indicated, when introducing the Bill, that the scheme would cost approximately €276 million to operate in Ireland. A study investigating the possible introduction of a UK-wide deposit and return scheme reported that it could cost in the region of €790 million (£700 million) per annum.
However Ryan said funding for the scheme could be charged to the manufacturers.
Other European countries also offer incentives for people to recycle bottles.
Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden introduced a publically funded national deposit schemes as far back as the 1980s.
Concerns around cost
Concerns surrounding costs of the scheme have also been made in Scotland, though a recent survey found that the majority of members of the public surveyed are in favour of the new plan.
The Guardian reports that Zero Waste Scotland were asked to assess the impacts and benefits of such a scheme. It received 63 responses on the deposit returns scheme, from companies such as Coca-Cola, as well as major supermarkets and Scottish environment groups.
AG Barr, the maker of Irn Bru, warned that “the cost to the consumer would be in the region of £150 million extra per year” in its submission.
Department officials argue it would also not have a huge impact on recycling or litter rates due to Ireland already being having one of the highest recycling rates for drinks containers in Europe, with 86% of all glass being recovered and recycled.
“We can’t afford it. There is about €500 million fiscal space. Are we going to spend nearly half of it rolling out a scheme like this when our recycling rates are performing well?” said one government source, who added that the Oireachtas Environment Committee will debate the merits of the Waste Reduction Bill in the next Dáil session where interested parties and groups can make submissions.
Fianna Fáil’s Environment spokesperson Timmy Dooley has submitted a similar Bill to bring about a bottle recycling programme, however, as it is legislation that would require the government to spend money, it has been rejected.
It’s understood the party is looking at other ways of ensuring the plan is rolled out in Ireland.
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Whilst Facebook remove any accounts it doesn’t agree with, they are the ones changing world politics, they want to silence free speech and feed you only one narrative.
@Alan Currie: Accounts it doesn’t agree with? You mean the likes of Alex Jones who is being sued for harassment of victims of terrorist attacks and calling them liars? The man who admitted it was all an act in court. Holocaust deniers, racist groups etc… In Europe you do not have freedom to say what you like without consequences. In America they may believe in freedom of speech but most of the western world ban hate speak. Maybe their political impacts is correct given it is a new medium that the US freedom of speech makes worse
@Craic_a_tower: agreed re hate speech but they actually do make odd decisions sometimes to remove harmless stuff .. I posted a photo of a toilet bowl that had been dumped .. no pun intended .. on a picturesque pathway in Thailand and suddenly .. whoosha .. it was removed .. I complained .. just for the fun of it .. and it was restored .. lol…
@Alan Currie: they sure are changing the world. Killing hundreds – soon to be thousands – with anti-vax lies. Spreading hate. Making people paranoid about contrails. Turning the state of education back thousands of years by making people think the friggin world is flat!
@Terry Cahill: they use automated filters so remove things without human intervention. In the case of toilets people were posting pictures of toilet contents so they added the filter. Your picture just got caught by it. You queried it and they let it go. No harm no foul.
@Deirdre O’Byrne: I would be happy to see accounts removed that simply spread utter lies, I think anyone would, however they are simply removing accounts that don’t have a left-wing agenda, if society cannot accept debate and different points of view then mankind has a big problem.
@Alan Currie: can you name such a person or group banned for just a non left-wing view? Not aware of any so would like to know who you class as just a different point of view.
@Craic_a_tower: Milo Yiannopoulos would be a recent one, who would be seen as right wing
@Alan Currie: Milo is a lunatic who can do without a platform to spread his lies.
@Rob Cahill: what lies are you referring to?
@Alan Currie: He is a little more than right wing now. He is there with Alex Jones for a very good reason as a hate monger liar. He encourages violence and misinformation and has neo-nazi links. Do you really think women shouldn’t work in the gaming industry and that isn’t a sexist view? Rightly banned, any actual valid names and groups who have been banned for not have left-wing views? You spectacularly failed with that one.
@Craic_a_tower: can you list some sources for those claims?
@Alan Currie: Just go to his wiki page. Do you think suggesting killing journalists is OK? Do you think anybody suggesting murder based on occupacian should be given a forum?
A quote from him “Behind every racist joke is scientific fact” am I also to assume you are OK with his views on having sex with children? According to him a 13 year old having sex with an adult is fine.
Do you really think he should be allowed on Facebook still?
@Craic_a_tower: It is very easy to write up a wiki page or contribute to it, it is notoriously a poor source for truth, speaking of which, still waiting for some solid sources for your claims. I do remember the journalist story, which later emerged that it was a private joke sent to some journalists that were hounding him, they decided to print it like it was his serious point of view and bend it all out of context, for anyone dumb enough to believe it.
@Alan Currie: wikipedia has citations you can look up. He posted the message on Instagram so not a private joke as you are stating. You didn’t remember it you either made it up or believed some BS about it and remembered that.
https://www.newsweek.com/instagram-removes-milo-yiannopoulos-post-praising-pipe-bombs-eventually-1188614
I’ll believe Newsweek on this rather than you. He is quite happy not to care about the consequences of his actions. You can actually go listen to him talk about sex with 13 year olds and adults as fine too if you want. SO wikipedia is correct while you aren’t. By all means check wikipedia information is correct but dont just dismiss it when it proved you wrong.
@Craic_a_tower: So you believe he called for the killing of journalists, bearing in mind that he himself was a journalist too? LOL
Are you sure it wasn’t the National Enquirer?
Why is this news?
@Marcia Craine: next up. Poll. Do you think video is good idea.
@Marcia Craine: it is possibly related to the opinion piece today about how false news and deepfakes can be used to manipulate opinion in volatile regions, which can even lead to riots and fatalities
@Marcia Craine: for the exact reason you think it is not
@Marcia Craine: I think you’ve just illustrated why.
@Marcia Craine: Because some very disturbing videos are about to be released and those involved are getting ahead of the game by prepping the public. That’s the word on the street anyway.
@Shane Dignam: really? I’m intrigued.. tell me more.
@Marcia Craine: Always one!
@Marcia Craine: I see what you did there ha ..
@Vocal Outrage: That and it’s quite important that this is highlighted. It’s going to be a huge factor in misleading information. People need to be made aware. There’s also the other important element of the power of social media and election interference which should be of significant concern for all democracies.
Plus as always is the case with these things if you don’t want to read it you don’t have to click on the link.
Important to bring this to public attention. Deepfake media usage is rising and there’s a certain cohort who will believe everything they see because the never question validity.
Deepdake videos are already a problem for famous actresses with porn. I’ve heard of deepdake porn being produced with regular people as revenge.
All we need are a couple of deepfake “casual conversation” candid filmed videos and tails will be wagging dogs.
The camera never lies, right? Right???
Deep fakes could be a tool used to unbalance societies, look at Myanmar, fake news spread through facebook. A muslim teashop owner accused of raping a buddhist girl, chaos ensued, shops ransacked, riots on the streets, men weilding machetes, the accusation was spread by a really far right wing muslim who despises muslims. Imagine the propaganda he could produce with deep fakes
How is this AI – it’s just some video and a voice over.
@Alan McGee: because the video was manipulated so his mouth moves as per the voiceover’s words, otherwise it would be a normal video with terrible dubbing
@Vocal Outrage: There is no dubbing .. its all AI..
@Lad: that’s my point, it’s all AI, I was being asked how it was AI and was pointing out the difference. Please read comments prior to attacking, particularly when the guy your attacking actually agrees with you
@Vocal Outrage: The problem with the impersonality of the internet… He wasn’t attacking you, he was making a correction with no adverse language at all. It was a fair comment too, your statement gives the impression that only the mouth was manipulated.
This isn’t an attack either, just stating how it looks from an outside perspective to hopefully help you not overreact in future.
Social media is the biggest disease of our time. It is going to rot our minds. The next war will be on social media because even people like myself gets influenced by what we see on TV, on apps etc. There needs to be proper checks and balances put in place. Our privacy is bring eroded. Every app downloaded gives these companies access to our personal information. And I know yes it is our decision weather we use them or not. But we are weak. It allows companies to manipulate our decisions. See what we are willing to pay for things etc etc it will destroy us
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: 1984 George was right .
Presume that the deepfake video of President Trump will be of him without telling a lie!
Social media is a disease. Biggest disease of our generation and I believe will be the cause of the next world war. It steals our information. Manipulates our thoughts and influences our decisions. When will world powers fight back.
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: social media will be the cigarettes of our generation. Thought to be completely harmless at first…
@Jack Johnson: I totally agree. Algorithms dictating our future. What it does to young children. Increased incidence of depression. Etc etc the list goes on.
This is a really good example of it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPhUhypV27w
The transitions between Hader to Schwarzenegger are seamless.
I find these deep fake videos deeply unconvincing.
Delete facebook, very few people ‘need’ it, I got rid 3 years ago and thought to myself this will be tough,but after a couple of weeks I didn’t miss it one bit and i’m glad I got off it. I have twitter for news only and post nothing personal nor am I connected to any ‘real life’ friends/family on it .
g
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