Bin bags have finally been banned from streets across Dublin’s south inner city, more than a year after the measure designed to clean up the city’s streets was announced.
In September 2024, Dublin City Council announced plans to ban the use of refuse sacks by about 1,500 businesses and residents on some 90 southside streets.
The area includes Grafton Street, Temple Bar, College Green, Dame Street, Exchequer Street, Fleet Street, Aungier Street, Baggot Street Lower, Chatham Street, Kildare Street, Molesworth Street, Nassau Street, Parliament Street and surrounding areas.
However, the plan was delayed due to difficulties surrounding the installation of waste compactors, where customers of waste companies can deposit bags. Two compactors were finally installed at St Stephen’s Green and on Fownes Steet in Temple Bar last October.
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The sealed containers can only be opened by those with access cards and codes, and are not available to the general public.
Residents and businesses on the streets were issued with cards to allow them to use the compactors. They could alternatively come to other collection arrangements with waste firms, but could no longer leave bags on the street.
The council said it is “satisfied that sufficient time has now been given to property owners in the pilot area to make alternative arrangements for collection of their rubbish”.
“After today,” it said, “any commercial premises or homeowner in the pilot area who leaves their plastic bags of rubbish on the street will face prosecution.”
The scheme is expected to be extended to the north inner city shortly.
Legislation requiring the use of bins instead of refuse sacks came into force in 2016, but thousands of Dublin residents and businesses were given a derogation from the rules because their properties were unsuitable for wheelie bins.
Streets in the city centre or inner suburbs with no gardens or no direct back access were those most affected. The council is still seeking solutions for residential areas which are not suitable for wheelie bins. These could include smaller sealed bins which, as with the compactors, operate using cards issued to customers.
The council hopes the derogation will have been fully removed by the end of next year.
