20/09/2007
Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.
Variation to Dublin Waste Plan needed to ensure households continue to get same quality and range of Waste Collection Services.
18th September 2007: The four Dublin local authorities will indicate in a statutory notice in the media on the 19th September 2007 that they are considering making a variation of the Waste Management Plan for the region regarding the collection of household waste. This variation may include a provision that household waste collection (other than from purpose built apartment blocks) would be carried out by local authorities or that the local authorities would make arrangements by way of a public tendering process for the collection of such waste. Submissions from interested parties were invited up to 19th November 2007. These submissions will be assessed and the local authorities will decide if they are proceeding further with the proposed variation.
As well as the collection of household waste, the local authorities provide a wide range of other waste-related services for households such as Awareness Programmes, Enforcement, Recycling Centres, Bring Centres, Glass Banks and the Free Trade Website. Such services are not being provided by private waste collectors. The Dublin Local Authorities expend 10 million on these services annually. said Matt Twomey, Assistant City Manager.
The local authorities operate a waiver system for about 70,000 low income families, said Mr Twomey. Such a service is not being provided by private waste collectors and there are serious concerns that private collectors will cherry pick the most lucrative part of the market.
The local authorities provide a clean up service in respect of dumped household waste which can be a serious source of environment pollution. This service is not provided by private waste collectors. In other areas where private waste collectors operate for the majority of the waste, about 30% of household waste is uncollected, up to 10% may be illegally dumped and backyard burning is becoming more common.
The sustainability and environmental cost of having multiple service providers operating on the same collection routes is a matter of serious concern from carbon footprint and climate change viewpoints. Trucks from different suppliers travelling up and down the same streets, each picking up from a few households is not sustainable on traffic congestion, noise, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions or economic grounds.
Mr Twomey concluded that it is now clear that a free for all is emerging in the Dublin Household Waste Collection market that has serious social and environmental implications for the sustainable management of waste going forward and puts at serious risk the attainment of the ambitious targets for the reduction, reuse and recycling in the Dublin Waste Plan.
Details of the variation and associated documentation are available on www.dublinwaste.ie . Written submissions are welcome at engineering@dublincity.ie or by letter to Executive Manager, Environment and Engineering Department, Block 1, Floor 4, Dublin City Council Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8 Before 19th November 2007.
ENDS
For further information: Dublin City Council Press Office: 086 815 0010
Mary Murphy : 087 233 6415