Wicklow County Council has advised its domestic refuse customers not to leave out refuse for collection because of a strike by the council's collection staff.
The strike, which follows the council's attempts to withdraw its door-to-door collection service in favour of a private operation, began yesterday morning, after negotiations with SIPTU broke down on Monday night.
Only county council customers are currently affected by the strike, although picketing at the council tips at Ballymurtagh, near Avoca, and Rampere, near Blessington, could cause difficulties for private operators. There are also pickets at the county council's offices in Wicklow town, Greystones and Arklow.
According to Mr Michael Nicholson, acting county secretary, more than half of the 9,000 households in Wicklow town are now without a refuse collection service.
The council said 24 workers were on strike, although SIPTU claims the number was 27. The privatisation dispute centres on the redeployment of council workers and the redundancy package on offer.