COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Sunday, September 12, 2010

QUESTION NO.24

QUESTION: Councillor E. Tuffy

To ask the Manager if he can clarify whether the re-cyclable plastic refuse bags being sold in many outlets are suitable for use in the SDCC Brown Bins, and if he can also advise if gradually filling the Brown Bin over a period of 4 weeks or more, before putting it out for collection is safe and compatible with the treatment process used in handling SDCC contents?  

REPLY:

Under no circumstances should  plastic bags be placed in bins as this can contaminate the loads.  There are products available on supermarket shelves that are 100% compostable and state on the wrapper that they are suitable for use in council brown bins.   These products are available in different sizes: there are several sizes available for small kitchen bins and pedal bins with larger sacks available for garden waste.  Manufacturers also offer compostable liners for lining the bin and this liner is generally discarded from the bin with the waste material disposed into the freighter during each collection

It is important for householders to note that biodegradable and compostable are not the same thing.  Biodegradable plastic bags cannot be placed in the brown bin.  Customers are advised to check the product label to establish how long the bag takes to break down  – bags taking 12 to 18 months to break down are not suitable for the brown bin but could be used in the black bin for containing residual waste.  In terms of the waste hierarchy, use of old paper to wrap food waste is generally an environmentally and economically preferable option and should be recommended as a first option in all instances. 

Prior to the intrioduction of the brown bin service the Council assessed the existing services in neighbouring authorities and the adopted scheme resulted in the Council introducing a 140 litre bin with a collection frequency of every two weeks.  The Council is aware that some households will not present the bins each fortnight, due to quantitative or seasonal factors but where waste is wrapped well and there is no residual waste is disposed of in the brown bin this is not an issue.