Residents of almost 1,000 Dublin streets are to be given exemptions from new rules requiring the use of wheelie bins instead of refuse sacks from July 1st.
However, households and businesses on more than 100 streets in the capital will be forced to stop using bags under the new waste regulations.
Last January, then minister for the environment Alan Kelly signed legislation requiring all waste collectors to move to a pay-by-weight system by July 1st.
The use of bags for household waste was to be prohibited in all but very limited areas, designated by local authorities.
However, in Dublin city, residents of more than 900 streets are to be given a dispensation from the new rules because their homes are unsuitable for bins.
Refuse sacks
Dublin City Council will in the coming days publish lists of streets currently using bags which must transfer to wheelie bins. Residents of almost 30 streets that only use refuse sacks will be required to use bins, and more than 80 streets where households currently use a mix of bags or bins will have to change over to bin-use only.
However, households and businesses in much of the city, and also the suburbs, will be able use a mix of bins or bags, or keep using bags only, according to provisional lists seen by The Irish Times.
Independent councillor Mannix Flynn, a member of the city’s special committee on waste regulations said the public had been given very little information about the new rules.
‘Great confusion’
“There has been great confusion and fear among the public, as well as misinformation from some waste providers who have been telling people, whose homes clearly aren’t suitable for bins, that they have to take them.”
Chairwoman of the committee, People Before Profit councillor Tina McVeigh, said the council had worked very hard to make sure people who couldn’t take bins would be given a derogation.
“A huge job of work was done, walking the entire city, and it turned out that there were a surprising number of streets that were going to get the exemption.”
The council’s survey showed more innovative solutions needed to be developed, such as having underground waste collection systems installed on some streets, Ms McVeigh said.
“We do have a large number of streets where it is physically impossible to keep bins inside the house, but it is a breach of the law to leave wheelie bins on the street on non-collection days.”
