COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF TERENURE-RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE (2)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

QUESTION NO. 6

QUESTION: Councillor E. Walsh

"To ask the Manager for a report on the change over from tags on bins to chips on bins?"

REPLY:

The bin tag system is to be replaced by a “Pay As You Go” system that will operate in the same way as a “Pay As You Go” mobile phone i.e. a Customer’s bin will be lifted if there is enough credit on the account. One of the primary benefits of the new system to customers will be that bin tags will not be required as payment information will be recorded and retrieved electronically so theft/removal of tags will not arise. The abolition of the bin tag is planned for the end of 2008.

Substantial progress has been made on the introduction of the “pay as you go” waste charges with the development of the necessary customer management system now complete and the rcent commencement of a project to electronically identify each domestic bin in the County.

All 80,000 Customers have been notified over the course of the last two months and 4 scanning teams have been working very hard to get to a point where we now have approximately 65% of all of the bins scanned with the last phase of the first scanning phase being carried out at present. A "mopping up" phase is now being planned and will be completed through the next number of weeks. The scanning element of the project is on course for bins to be scanned on time for the introduction of the system.

Also progressing is the implementation of appropriate payment systems with the relevant service providers. The payments systems will enable Customers to purchase credit through shops, online at the Council's website, by phone or through the Councils offices giving Customers a wider availablility of payment options than heretofore.

A major information campaign and promotion effort is being planned to enusre that Customers are fully informed about how the system will work and how they can use the sytem before the system goes live.

Completion of these stages will enable the Environmental Services Department to be in a position to present customers with a convenient, user friendly system of paying waste charges by the end of the year.