City Council puts a stop to bulky waste collection service

Dublin City Council has quashed plans to reintroduce the free collection of household bulky waste because it may cause the European Union to prosecute the entire State.

Last November, councillors voted to bring back the collection service which was discontinued several years ago.

Bulky items such as couches and mattresses would have been collected by the council under the initiative.

At the time, Fianna Fail councillor Deirdre Heney said that “the reintroduction of the free household bulky waste collection means that householders will be again provided with a service by Dublin City Council to properly dispose of bulky household items of waste.

“It will bring about a reduction of the regrettable but continued illegal dumping of waste in many parts of our city.”

However, at a recent Climate Change Committee meeting, the executive manager of the council’s environment division Liam Bergin said that the local authority could not approve the launch of the service.

Bergin said that the collection would be “in direct contradiction to European, national and local policy governing waste disposal and specifically ignores the overarching polluter pays principle”.

It could also incentivise “dumping tourism”, where “non-residents or commercial operators may take advantage of the free service and drop off waste in areas where collection is taking place,” he said.

At this month’s meeting, Heney said that the council’s decision showed “disrespect” to councillors.

“I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that bulky waste collection reduces the amount of dumped rubbish,” she said.

“That is absolutely undisputable.”

Heney disputed Bergin’s and the council’s decision saying that it was the councillors who constituted Dublin City Council.

“I am Dublin City Council,” she said.

“I am an elected a member of Dublin City Council and Dublin City Council members voted in favour of putting a certain amount of money aside for the reintroduction of the bulky waste collection free of charge.”

Bergin said he had not been aware of what the councillors were doing at the time of the budget and, if he was, he would have advised of the illegality of the move.

“I knew it would be problematic as soon as I saw it. I sent it off for legal advice as soon as I saw it,” he said.

“But if I had been asked at the time would this have got through? Would we be in a position in DCC to bring it in or indeed the Irish State to bring it in? I would have said no.”

He said that if the collection service was approved, the European Commission would contact the Department of Foreign Affairs, which would then contact the Department of the Taoiseach, which would then write to the relevant Government departments, which would then contact the chief executive of the council to order that the breach be resolved.

“It’s not that DCC gets in trouble,” he said.

“Ireland is the one that breaches the directive and I am very mindful that we can’t put Ireland in breach of these directives.”

Another Fianna Fail councillor, Tom Brabazon also condemned Bergin’s report saying that he felt it was “biased” and that there “seems to be a problem that we are encountering this on the council, that staff are writing reports that are stacked in a way to give a desired result.”