Green group target Supermac’s for recycling cop-out

dublin | environment | press release Thursday February 10, 2005 14:48 by Will St Leger - VOICE

This morning activists from the environmental campaign
group Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment (VOICE) placed 20 bags of
household recyclables in a Supermac’s restaurant in Dublin city centre.

The five activists arrived at the O’Connell branch of Supermac’s at
11.30am and 20 placed bags of paper, cardboard, plastic inside the fast food
restaurant. VOICE say they took direct action because at least two Supermac’s
outlets had displayed notices suspending the take back of packaging waste from
the general public without authorisation.

Will St. Leger, Voice spokesperson says “The public is told to reduce, reuse
and recycle packaging, yet multi-million euro companies like Supermac’s flout waste
regulations and people’s rights”

Enforcement rests with local authorities and VOICE says they have asked Dublin
City Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to investigate
Supermac’s compliance with current waste management regulations. Voice have
published on their website www.downtozero.ie lists of ‘self complying’
companies that must take back different types of packaging waste from the
public.

ENDS

Editors Notes:

About Supermac’s:

Supermac’s has over 50 outlets around Ireland. In 2000, they boasted a turnover
well in excess of £45m. Supermac's purchases from up to 82 food and beverage
suppliers. In an average week, Supermac's serves over 320,000 customers and
last year alone, Supermac’s customers consumed 9 million burgers and 12 million
portions of fries. Source: www.supermacs.ie

About Voice:

Set up in 1997, following the closure of Greenpeace Ireland, Voice of Irish
Concern for the Environment spearheaded the campaign to introduce a levy on
plastic bags and continue to campaign against waste incineration, climate
change and the fluoridation of drinking water.

VOICE runs a sustainable waste campaign called Down to Zero with a national
coalition of individuals, communities, local and national groups working
towards sustainable waste management. The Down to Zero campaign calls on the
Government to abandon incineration plans in favour of waste prevention,
minimisation, maximum recycling and composting through kerbside collection and
extended responsibility on waste producers.