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Bin campaigners slam council over non-collection

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

CAMPAIGNERS against waste collection charges have slammed Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council after they stopped collecting bins in some areas around the county.
The protesters also claimed the local authority could be potentially responsible for creating safety hazards arising from accumulating rubbish.
According to the People Before Profit Alliance, residents in parts of Ballybrack, Loughlinstown and across the borough of Dún Laoghaire have been refused “the right” to have their household waste collected by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
Householders whose bins are not registered have been targeted for non-collection by the council.
In its defence the council says it has received complaints from paying customers about neighbours who have not paid bills but continue to benefit from the service.
At the beginning of 2008 e28 million in waste collection arrears was due to the council. In the latest bid to put pressure on non-paying residents the local authority has begun to refuse collection for householders who are in arrears, some of whom have never made a payment.
Hugh Lewis of the People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA) and Campaign Against Service Charges (CASC) said he has been contacted by countless residents who complained that their household waste is set to mount up over the coming weeks.
“This will, inevitably, lead to health hazards across the borough, as waste is left behind by the council to rot in people’s gardens,” he said.
“Since the introduction of bin charges there has been an inevitable increase in the amount of illegal dumping, which directly contradicts the supposed environmental purpose of the charges in the first place.
“The tactics employed by the council will be met with strong resistance in the coming weeks,” he warned. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with the residents involved to demand that this vital service is reinstated.”
Fundamental
He called on the local authority to collect all household waste across the county and said it was a “fundamental right” of citizens to have the service paid from central taxation.
Cecil Handyside of Willow Vale in Ballybrack, who is unemployed, said he has refused to pay bin charges ever since they were introduced.
To avoid paying the charges he normally throws his rubbish straight into the back of the council bin lorries.
“I have never paid the bin charges,” he said. “The way I way feel about it is that it gives the council a licence to print money.
“It is hard enough now to live as it is. I am on social welfare and there are bills coming in all around me. This is one I don’t need and can’t afford.”
A spokesperson for the council said that those who pay their bills cannot be asked to subsidise the service on behalf of those who refuse to pay.
“Over 70 per cent of households abide by the legal charges and they should not have to bear the burden of non-payers’ arrears,” the spokesman said.
“Where there is genuine difficulty, the council's waiver scheme is aimed at households on a low income and customers can apply at any time.
“Customers are also encouraged to apply for a backdated waiver where they feel they would qualify, which can result in the granting of waivers for multiple years.”
The council has also urged customers who are concerned about the service to contact the waste section on 2054747 to discuss their payments and look at the possibility of setting up an instalment plan.

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