A CRACKDOWN on illegal dumping has changed the behaviour of Dublin householders and led to the collection of 300 tonnes of household waste that would otherwise have been dumped on the streets of the capital during the peak tourist season.
The Clondalkin based waste management company Greyhound has claimed that householders who had been dumping household waste on city streets were now paying the company to collect their black bin-bag waste.
The company puts the dramatic shift in consumer behaviour down to its policy of not collecting unpaid and untagged black bin-bags as well as Dublin City Council’s strict enforcement of litter laws in known litter black spots around the city.
“It takes 30 truck loads to move 300 tonnes of waste,
? explained Paul Moloney, General Manager of Greyhound.
“That illustrates the extraordinary positive response to this initiative.
“Householders have clearly changed their behaviour and the city is cleaner because of that. We collaborated with Dublin City Council to come up a simple solution to a long standing problem and it has worked.
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He said Greyhound had also addressed the unsightly problem of bin-bags being left on the streets for days at a time.
Householders have been provided with collection calendars to improve compliance and to influence behavioural change. The problem of bags being torn open was also significantly improved.
“Some householders had a habit of throwing unpaid, untagged black bags of rubbish onto the streets and expecting the council to clean up after them,
? Mr Moloney added.
“That mindset has completely changed.
“We stopped collecting bags without tags while the council’s litter wardens stepped up patrols and enforcement in litter black spots.
“The offenders got the message that the game was up and Greyhound made it easier for them to comply with the law by widening the availability of bin-bag tags in local shops and Post Offices and by helping them to pay attention to collection schedules.
“Peer pressure is working too,
? he added.
“Householders have noticed that their streets are cleaner and want to keep them that way. They are reporting illegal dumping and urging their neighbours to play their part.
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Mr Maloney said the company expects to significantly improve upon the results that have already been achieved once the traditional summer holiday period comes to an end.
“This is a great start considering that household waste volumes tend to drop during the summer months when people are away on holidays,
? he said.
“Things get back to normal in September so we are confident of building on our success and eliminating illegal on-street dumping throughout the city.
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