Starting this month, the heart of Dublin will implement a ban on bin bags as part of an effort to minimise littering in the city caused by ripped plastic rubbish sacks. Since 2016, several homes and businesses throughout the city were excused from utilising wheelie bins because of insufficient space to accommodate such waste containers on their premises. Dublin City Council, over a period of years, has trialled different methods to replace plastic bin bags in a bid to address the serious littering issue ensued by torn bags, a problem compounded by animals and even the deposit return scheme. This scheme has seen people deliberately tearing open bags to recover cans and bottles and claim cash deposits from return machines.
The local authority has now resolved to let the waste collection firms decided the most suitable waste holder for their clients, the only condition being the exclusion of plastic bags. The new plan covers 90 key streets in the city centre starting September 16th and applies to all residential, commercial and retail buildings. Streets such as Grafton Street, College Green, Temple Bar, Dame Street and Aungier Street among others located on the city’s south side are initially included.
There will be a transitional period lasting slightly over three months, however, from January 1st, it will be prohibited for occupants of buildings on these streets to dispose of waste in plastic bags on the streets for collection. In 2016, a law necessitating the use of bins instead of rubbish sacks came into force, but occupants living on over 1,000 streets in the city were exempted from the new regulations as their properties lacked the necessary space for bins.
Primarily city centre and inner suburban streets that lack front gardens and direct access to the rear were often impacted. Inhabitants who made a compelling case that they would be forced to store wheeled bins inside their homes or haul them through domestic spaces from secured back yards, were accorded an exemption. This provision was extended to businesses lacking waste storage amenities.
On Monday, the council disclosed that it has commenced a review of the exemption, with a plan to eliminate it from as many streets as viable. It stated it is still deliberating upon the optimal waste collection options for predominantly residential roads, taking into account potential community storage and customer-friendly solutions that could suffice for or shield plastic kerbside bags. This includes reusable containers like the caddie and Bagbin, a foldable bin that can contain multiple bagged waste. The Bagbin has already undergone testing at several junctures across the city in recent years.
Concurrently, with the proposed ban on bin bags in the city centre, the council will mandate details of collection contracts from all waste handling services across the city. Barry Woods, the council’s head of waste management, explained that this will aid the creation of a “reverse register.” This register will identify those residents not subscribing to waste collection services.
This initiative will streamline the council’s capability to initiate legal proceedings, curb illicit rubbish disposal, and incite more people to sign up for waste collection contracts, added Woods.
The council is on the verge of finalising a pact with a fresh CCTV provider to monitor and nab illicit waste disposal activities. Woods confirmed that the inauguration of the first CCTV scheme is just weeks away.