Boylan takes on Amazon as corporation dumping bill passes Seanad

Amazon’s self-appointed Prime Day may be happening this week, but Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan is in no mood to celebrate.

The tech titan opened its first warehouse or “fulfillment centre” in Baldonnell this week, which Boylan acknowledges has benefits in the form of 500 jobs, but she said it serves as a reminder of the need for legislation “to ban the deliberate dumping of new non-food products. ”

Sinn Féin’s Dumping New Products Bill passed the Seanad earlier this week, and the party has received confirmation that Government won’t oppose the bill in the Dáil.

Discussing the bill in a column in the Irish Examiner, Boylan cited data from Germany, France and the United Kingdom where Amazon disposed of thousands of usable products which resulted in legislation being passed that would punish the company for the practice.

Boylan serves as the party’s spokesperson on climate justice, and claimed the bill would end the practice of dumping unused goods by corporations in Ireland, move the country towards a more “circular” economy and bring Ireland in line with European Union regulations.

Discussing the bill in the Seanad, Boylan said “our planet has finite resources and we cannot continue to waste them in a take-make-waste business model.”

“A key problem that we believe was not addressed in the circular economy bill is that big corporations are dumping perfectly good products which have not been used; this is the most wasteful scenario conceivable in a linear economy.”

“All of the waste associated with the mining of raw materials and the energy and labour that goes into manufacturing and distributing the product, only for it to go into the bin without delivering any benefit, is unconscionable, particularly in view of the environmental crisis we mace on multiple fronts.”

Boylan cited fashion and technology companies as those who take part in the practice of destroying or dumping usable products.

“With the proliferation of online shopping, this problem has reached alarming levels. Returned items, often in pristine condition, are recklessly discarded instead of being resold.”

Citing data from France, Boylan said as much as €13 million worth of hygiene and beauty products are destroyed in Ireland each year.

“Our Government had an opportunity to follow France’s lead when they were introducing their circular economy legislation,” she wrote in the column.

“Unfortunately, they chose not to and instead there was much championing of the levy on plastic coffee cups.

“Don’t get me wrong, I agree that reducing the number of single-use plastic items is important, however, it once again focuses responsibility on the individual, all the while large corporations are dumping brand new TVs, and laptops.”

“That’s why I have decided to bring forward legislation that would introduce a ban on the deliberate destruction or dumping of new non-food items including electronic products, textiles, school equipment, leisure products. and furniture.”

Instead, companies would be obliged to donate products to charities, secondhand shops, or social enterprises.

She said that under the bill, any company found to be in breach of the legislation would face financial penalties.

“For too long the negative environmental costs are borne by society, it’s time that businesses were forced to bear the full costs of their business practices,” she added.