34 Mr. T. Foxe asked the Minister for the Environment the recycling percentages reached in 1994 for paper, glass, plastic and metals; if these achievements were on target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4916/95]

The most recent statistics available to my Department in relation to waste recycling relate to 1993 and indicate an overall recycling rate of 7.4 per cent in relation to the combined household and commercial waste streams. The recycling rates for individual materials within this combined municipal waste stream were: paper, 19 per cent; glass, 21 per cent; plastic, negligible; metals, 24 per cent; textiles, 14 per cent.

The strategy document "Recycling for Ireland" which was published in July 1994 set an overall target of diverting from landfill some 20 per cent of household and commercial waste by 1999. The 1999 target for packing waste is a minimum recovery rate of 30 per cent for this overall waste stream. This is based on a recovery rate of 55 per cent for glass and a recovery rate of 25 per cent for each of the other packaging materials (paper, plastics, metal).

The achievement of these targets is being pursued in a number of ways including the preparation of comprehensive legislation on waste management, the provision of support for investment in waste recovery facilities, and the work of the IBEC Task Force on recycling.