Greens tell landlords to clean up their act

Local Green Party members Neasa Hourigan, Janet Horner and Feljin Jose have launched a campaign to make domestic refuse contracts the responsibility of landlords.

Referring to dumping on Northside city streets as a “tidal wave,” the Greens have called for legislation to be introduced that would make landlords avail of a waste licence for tenants.

The Landlord Waste Contract (Amendment) Bill 2024 will make it a the responsibility of landlords to ensure that their tenants have a bin contract. 

Should the bill pass, Councils will be able to pursue landlords where tenants do not have a bin contract.

The North City branch of the party says a “serious intervention is needed” to tackle waste and safeguard the health of local residents.

In 2023, Councillor Janet Horner passed a motion declaring a litter and dumping emergency in the area and Minister for the Circular Economy Ossian Smyth convened a working group to identify solutions for the specific challenges facing the North City.

The Greens’ bill notes that waste collection is a “vital” aspect of urban infrastructure but Dublin is lagging behind other European cities.

Household waste collection in Dublin typically operates on a scheduled basis, with residents receiving bins for various types of waste, including general waste, recycling and organic waste. 

Research from the party found that while the privatisation of waste services has benefitted Dublin with regards to wheelie bins being more widely available in suburban areas, it has resulted in littering increasing in inner city areas.

The research found “rogue landlords are encouraging tenants to dump,” and more pressingly, ? the amount of short-term tenancies causes “instability and disruption in bin contracts.”

Hourigan said “we know we have an issue with waste in the city centre particularly tenants struggling with waste contracts; our streets don’t look as good as they could be.”

She said the bill would ensure that landlords are responsible for providing a waste contract for their tenants.

Feljin Jose, Area Rep for Cabra-Glasnevin said “there’s lots we can learn about how other European historic city centres manage waste. Dublin’s challenges are not unique.”

North Inner City Councillor Janet Horner said “in addition to the bill we want more shared bins, walkable bring centres, and an incontinence rebate so that people who are using incontinence products will be able to get a reduction in their waste bills.”

In Hourigan’s constituency of Dublin Central, almost 50 tonnes of dumped waste is collected monthly, which is more than entire counties.

It was noted that the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in dumping, and despite Dublin City Council’s efforts in setting up an active waste collection and litter prevention program, the research from the Green Party found that the situation is “still getting worse.”