The Minister for the Environment went through the rubbish bins of two neighbours yesterday in an attempt to encourage the public to recycle.
Mr Dempsey, who performed the task with his bare hands, was announcing a new campaign which aims to encourage households to save energy and recycle their rubbish. The Minister, who admitted his own efforts at recycling were "mediocre", visited the Templeogue home of Ms Debra Pearce to give her tips on making her home more environmentally friendly. As well as having to tolerate good humoured reprimands from the Minister, Ms Pearce had to put up with around a dozen journalists, photographers and cameramen and a small army of public relations people tramping through her neat home in muddy shoes.
Mr Dempsey gently ticked Ms Pearse off about her leaky taps, the contents of her rubbish bins, and her environmentally unfriendly light-bulbs. The Minister was particularly upset by Ms Pearce's unrecycled "three-ply toilet paper".
He and his entourage then moved down the road to Ms Pearce's friend, Ms Maria Baston. Ms Baston got Brownie points from the Minister for having three rubbish bins for different types of waste and for turning some of her rubbish into compost. She was also praised for using CFC light-bulbs, an energy-efficient central heating system and environmentally friendly detergents.
The Minister said surveys had shown many people "feel helpless and powerless as to how to help the environment". He said the "global and apocalyptic nature of environmental problems" sometimes gave people "an excuse for apathy". The first phase of the Department's new awareness-raising initiative will cost £500,000. Through leaflet and advertising campaigns, it aims "to offer simple solutions to complex problems".
A TV advertising campaign will encourage people to "think before you buy this Christmas". Christmas shoppers are being asked to cut down on packaging, to shun presents that are "toxic, hazardous or dangerous to the environment" and to send cards made with recycled paper.
