COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, May 11, 2009

MOTION NO. 14

MOTION: Councillor P. Cosgrave

That the Manager report on what better arrangements can be made for household refuse collection “black wheelie bins” on bank holiday Mondays. Residents who are scheduled for bin collection on Mondays have no collected for two weeks leaving them with a problem of an accumulation of waste.

REPORT:

The decision to discontinue refuse collections on or in lieu of bank/public holidays was taken in the context of customers presenting their bins for collection on average once every three weeks with presentation rates on bank/public holiday collections (collections in lieu of same) averaging 15% of customers on the routes affected over the last year. The level of presentation at the alternative for St. Patrick's Day holiday was as low as 250 bins. 

In order to provide these collections 52 staff and 15 vehicles are mobilised and put out on the road at a cost of €30,000 per bank holiday.    To continue to provide a service for which there is such limited demand would be a poor use of resources.  There continues to be a green bin collection for bank holidays in keeping with theprinciples of the Waste Management Plan and the reduction of waste to landfill.

The average presentation rates means that the majority of customers are not overly affected. Over the course of a year this will only impact on certain routes by reducing opportunities to present bins by approximately 10% and can encourage the objectives of increasing awareness of recycling and waste minimisation. Customers with large families are provided with second bins where appropriate and additionally, the Ballymount Civic Amenity remained open over the weekend in question for customers who felt that they had to dispose of refuse immediately.  In an overall review of the service the rotation of collection days for customers will be examined.

In addition the green bin service was increased to enable a fortnightly collection and also the items which can be placed in the green bin has been expanded and now includes the acceptance of all plastics.  The result of this has been a significant transfer of waste from the black bin to the green bin and the presentation of green bins remains high at 70% as compared with the weekly presentation of black bins at approximately 30%.  Prior to the expanded green bin collection the presentation rate of the black bin was 43% - therefore the drop in waste has been a further 10% for householders.  All of these factors contibute to the service demand reducing.  This high presentation rate has enabled the green bin contractor to continue to make an arrangement on collection and detail of this collection is contained in the calendar that each householder receives. 

The service will not be reintroduced for the May Bank Holiday weekend or for subsequent bank/public holidays.

In an effort to notify customers, the following measures were taken in the week prior to the May bank holiday