Bin bag backlash continues with public meeting in Stoneybatter
Stoneybatter residents have been pushing back against plans to ban bin bags in their area.
A public meeting led by Labour TD Marie Sherlock will take place at Scout Hall in Stoneybatter this evening at 8:30pm. Ms Sherlock said this is a “listening exercise” to gauge public opinion following backlash against Dublin City Council implementing their new waste management strategy .
Plans to remove the waste bag collection service from the area have been criticised by residents and politicians, as the alternative of large wheelie bins or a stacked caddie system may not be suitable for elderly, disabled, or waste conscious residents. Ms Sherlock told Dublin Live that a lack of civic engagement on the part of the council has left residents feeling blindsided by the incoming plan.
She said there is a “real palpable sense of frustration on the ground that Dublin City Council didn't communicate with them” and without proper consultation it was “just kind of foisted this upon them”. Ms Sherlock questioned if the waste companies are being prioritised over the desire of people in the area, and has called for alternatives to this change to be considered.
Those who pay careful attention to their waste management have been particularly frustrated by the incoming change, as residents feel they will end up actually having to pay more for being good recyclers. “People who only put a bag out every three to four weeks because they recycle well are now going to be forced into flat-rate contracts where they have to pay way more,” she said.
Rather than succumbing to a “one size fits all” system where people must accept wheelie bins or plastic caddies, Ms Sherlock urged the council to think outside the box for alternatives. "This is about having more ambition for our city and for our streets and looking at the alternatives that other European cities have put out there," she said.
From underground bins to waste compactors, Ms Sherlock stressed “Dublin City Council could do an awful lot more in terms of actually stepping up”. While the privatization of bin collection services in Dublin has a complex history, she feels local authorities have “lost a bit of confidence in their powers and abilities” but that delegating everything to private companies is not the answer.
“You’ve got an under investment in composting and recycling. We've only got two civic amenity centres in the whole of the constituency, North Strand and Grangegorman, I think we need to be looking at how we develop more of those, maybe on a smaller scale,” she said.
“I believe waste management is not just a private utility. It’s something that really impacts us all.”
The bin bag backlash was also highlighted by Dublin City Councillors, as former Lord Mayor Cllr Nial Ring tabled an emergency motion at the Central Area Committee meeting in May. He spoke about his 91-year-old mother, who cannot drag heavy bins up staircases and through narrow terraced house in Stoneybatter.
He described the communication by DCC on the rollout as “appalling” and that proper consideration has not been given to how the plan could negatively impact those living in the area. Cllr Ring revealed representatives have received hundreds of emails opposing the plan which must be suspended until there is agreement from those in the area. He said it is not acceptable that those affected have not been consulted and that the “take it or leave it” approach from waste collection providers has left them feeling like they have no choice in the matter.
Executive Manager Derek Kelly defended the rollout as a major component of the council’s plan to clean up the city and said the previous phases of their strategy has already removed approximately 20 tonnes of waste from the streets per month. He said the four waste providers in the area - Panda, Greyhound Recycle, KeyGreen, and Thorntons Recycling - have been working with the council to offer a variety of solutions to customers, which includes smaller, stacked plastic caddies to act as alternative to traditional wheelie bins.
But, there was unanimous agreement within the council chamber that there had been major communication issues and the rollout should be suspended until agreement can be found. Bringing up issues of accessibility, an increased financial burden, environmental concerns, and the debate around remunicipalisation of waste collection, it’s clear the council and councillor are at loggerheads on this topic.
The proposed plan to eliminate plastic bags from the streets has caused concern due to a feeling that many homes around Stoneybatter and Dublin 7 simply don't have the space for bin storage. With many homes lacking front gardens, there’s a worry that people would have no choice to illegally store them on the street.
Green Party Cllr Janet Horner agreed the process needs to be “paused and reviewed” to allow people to get the full picture of what is actually happening. She said she’s receiving emails where half the people believe they have no choice but to accept a large wheelie bin and although the other half know about the smaller caddie option they still have concerns.
“This information should have come first and foremost from the council and not private waste providers. People feel their hands have been twisted behind their backs and the private companies have been consulted rather than the residents of this city,” she said.
For many residents the bag collection system offered a pay-as-you-go model, where people could be conscious about their own waste management and only pay for a pick up when their bag was full. There’s no such option under the new requirements, meaning those producing very little waste pay the same as everyone else.
Ms Sherlock’s ‘make the bin bag ban work’ public meeting takes place tonight (Monday, June 15) at 8:30pm in Scout Hall, Ben Edair Road, Stoneybatter.
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