Thousands of north Dublin households in an area stretching from the Liffey to the Royal Canal have until Monday make submissions to Dublin City Council on plans to ban the use of bin bags on their streets.
From October 17th, residents of streets in Stoneybatter, Phibsborough, Smithfield and Broadstone will face fines of €250 if they leave plastic refuse sacks instead of bins on the street for collection.
The local authority had planned to make streets in the area “bag free” from July, but following a backlash from residents whose homes could not easily accommodate wheelie bins, it agreed to postpone until October and initiate a public consultation process on the plans.
The council said it was seeking feedback on the plan to help it to understand “local concerns and opportunities, storage and accessibility considerations, communication needs” and “any issues that should be considered before roll-out”.
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However, it stressed it would be implementing a ban on the presentation of bags as “waste presented in bags frequently becomes scattered across streets due to birds, vermin and human interference”. The council said its “cleansing crews respond daily to incidents involving torn waste bags, often before routine street cleaning can begin”.
The bag ban has already been implemented in two areas of the city centre. In December 2025 it was introduced in the areas around Temple Bar and Grafton Street and the streets to its east and west. Last May the ban came into force in the north inner city from Amiens Street to Church Street and the Liffey quays to Dorset Street.
Both areas are primarily commercial and on-street waste compactors, similar in size to small caravans, were installed to facilitate premises that could not accommodate wheelie bins.
The Dublin 7 area designated for the ban is considerably larger than the two city areas, running from the Phoenix Park to Dorset Street and the north quays to Royal Canal, just north of Mountjoy Prison. The area is predominantly residential and the council has determined large on-street compactors would not be suitable.
Instead it said private waste collection companies will offer a range of “approved reusable receptacles” to households.
Households can choose standard 120-litre wheelie bins, but outside waste collection hours they must store them on their own properties and cannot leave them on the street, the council said. Where the home is not suitable for a large bin, smaller 80-litre wheelie bins and 45-litre caddies can instead be used.
Large on-street or underground communal bins are not planned, the council said.
“Shared waste infrastructure has been explored through pilot projects in areas such as Kevin Street and Stoneybatter. However, significant challenges were identified around location, maintenance, ownership, servicing arrangements and local acceptance,” it said. “The council continues to review new and emerging solutions.”
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 temporary derogation from the rule because their properties were unsuitable for wheelie bins.
Early next year the ban will be implemented in any residential areas south of the city where bags are still in use, including parts of Dublin 8 and Dublin 6.
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The derogation has to be removed to comply with national and European waste management requirements and “improve street cleanliness, reduce litter and vermin, and support better recycling and waste segregation across the city,” the council said.
The introduction of the ban in the south inner city last December resulted in the removal of more than 1,000 refuse sacks from the streets, the council said. It also reduced illegal dumping by approximately 20 tonnes each month with estimated savings of about €50,000 per year in illegal dumping disposal costs.
