South Dublin County Council’s Three Bin Waste Management System
Back to List08/07/2010
Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.
South Dublin County Council’s
Three Bin Waste Management System
Wednesday 7th July Press release
South Dublin County Council provides a Waste Management Service to almost 74,000 households in addition to businesses, schools and community facilities in the County
South Dublin is cheapest waste collection service in the country
There has been no increase in charges since 2006
There is no fixed charge for the Council’s service
The Green Bin service is still provided at no charge to the consumer
The Council continues to operate a waiver system
Household waste (Black Bins) has been, until recently, collected on a weekly basis by Council staff. However with the introduction of the Brown Bin, which allows our customers to segregate their waste further (up to 1/3 of household waste can go in the Brown Bin), this system of weekly collection is no longer necessary. Therefore the Brown and Black Bin collections have changed to fortnightly collections.
“South Dublin County Customers have always been progressive when it comes to improving their environment and managing their waste which go hand in hand” explained Philomena Poole, Director of Services and Deputy County Manager.
“The comprehensive waste management system provided by the Council enables householders to control their own costs by minimizing the waste they produce in the first instance and also to make a contribution to the environmental good by limiting the amount going to landfill and diverting recyclable materials for recycling” added Ms Poole.
This minimisation of cost and environmental impact can be achieved by using the following range of waste management options:
v The Green Bin for recyclables which is free of charge
v the 61 Bring Banks around the County which are free of charge
v the Civic Amenity and Recycling Centre at Ballymount where a range of recyclables are again accepted free;
v the Brown Bin for food waste and garden waste
v the Black bin for those remaining items that cannot be disposed of any of the other waste management options provided by the Council.
South Dublin County Council is the cheapest waste provider in the country. There have been no increases in waste collection charges since 2006 however in order to continue providing a high quality and improved waste management service, the Council must increase its waste management charges, for the black bin to €10.50 with the Brown Bin remaining at 50% of the cost of the Black Bin at €5.25 and the Green Bin remaining free of charge. These new charges are inclusive of VAT. South Dublin County Council is one of the few Councils that has no fixed yearly charges for bin collection and has committed to a pay per lift system only. The Council also commits to keeping down the costs it has control over and not increasing the charge on those costs until 2012. Following the increase, which will take effect on Sunday 1st August 2010, the Council’s charges will still be amongst the lowest in the country.
South Dublin keeps customers fully in control of their own waste costs. “With the additional separation of waste through the brown bin, customers may well be able to save themselves money as they will be putting out their black bin less often.” Ms Poole explained
“For example a Black Bin collection every week currently costs €8 so per year this could cost the householder €416. If used correctly it should only be necessary to put the Brown Bin out every two weeks costing € 136.50 and the Black Bin every 4 weeks costing €136.50 in total, the new waste management system could cost €273 a year. And of course the green bin every two weeks is still at no charge to the customer. So by using the three bin system to maximum efficiency and carefully separating your waste, it is possible to reduce your charges per year on your refuse costs” Ms Poole added. This service is provided county-wide regardless of location or economic status of the customer.
The Council also carries the cost of a waiver scheme, with each eligible waiver household receiving up to 6 lifts free of charge per quarter.
This new waste management system brings environmental gains to society and to present and future generations. It aims to charge users based on the amount of waste they produce and encourages waste reduction, re-use and recycling which are the preferable options for waste management.
Full details on South Dublin County Councils household waste management service, including charges visit www.sdcc.ie