Letters

Inappropriate disposal of domestic waste

Bring refuse collection services back under the direct control of Dublin City Council

Thu Feb 23 2023 - 00:07

Sir, – The biggest cause for concern raised by the Institute of Public Administration’s report on efforts to bring refuse collection services back under the direct control of Dublin City Council was the omission from its evaluation process of any reference to the health risk that is being created by inappropriate disposal of domestic waste and the damage that is being done to the environment (“Report warns Dublin City Council against resuming bin collection”, News, February 22nd).

The report only addresses the likely “anti-competitive” hurdles in the way of Dublin City Council resuming the provision of this vital service and fails to assess the very clear justifications for making the move.

Since the service was outsourced inappropriate dumping has become widespread, with the report noting that in 2020 Dublin City Council collected 3,400 tonnes of illegally dumped waste and when it is considered that that amount represents only a portion of the likely total involved, it is very alarming that this central issue was ignored. Accessibility is the elephant in the room with current arrangements with very high charges driving exclusion.

It is worth reminding ourselves that waste collection services came into being to address the health hazards it created having been identified as the cause of a number of devastating cholera outbreaks in UK cities. Indeed, the provision of this service was the father and mother of local authorities, which were created specifically to oversee the services.

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The Government has just announced a €1.4 billion cost of living handout. It is amazing that no one seems to have offered the suggestion that a tiny portion of that would have provided a refuse collection service that all citizens, regardless of their means, could readily access when needed. – Yours, etc,

JIM O’SULLIVAN,

Rathedmond,

Sligo.