10% rise in green bin bag collection fees “punishes” public, says Doolan

Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan has said that Greyhound’s decision to slap customers with a 10% price hike for green bin collections is “punishing” the public for using the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme launched in March with some initial teething problems but has proven to be a success among Irish consumers.

Doolan states that the scheme, which is seeing millions of Euro returned to consumers, has resulted in corporate greed setting in among waste management companies, and are now attempting to gogue costumers.

He said the price rises are an example of why domestic bin services should never have been privatised and handed back to the control of local authorities.

Doolan was commenting after the Greyhound waste collection company announced that customers will see a 10% rise in green bin collections from next month,.

“This increase is punishing the public because they are availing of the successful Deposit Return Scheme,” he said.

“Private waste companies are missing out on the €15m generated by the successful return scheme, and they are punishing the public for this,” he stated.

“Householders need and deserve a bin collection service that meets their needs, not the need of private greed; this would benefit the householder, the workers and the environment,” he said.

He called for bin services to fall back into public ownership, which echoes calls made by Labour Senator Marie Sherlock on the issue.

In September, Sherlock said “we have a serious underinvestment in waste management in Dublin and the reality is, we’re all paying the price for a system that is failing.”

“It’s time to radically rethink who is responsible for collecting our waste. Dublin needs a single operator for waste collection across the entire city and county. Only with a unified system can we ensure that there is accountability, consistency, and value for our community. We need greater regulation over costs and service quality, and we must take responsibility for the cleanliness of our streets. Waste collection is about more than just emptying bins – it’s about keeping our city liveable,” she said.