COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, April 16, 2012

MOTION NO.5

MOTION: Councillor E. Higgins

That the Manager provide a detailed report on the possibility of facilitating a monthly dry recyclable waste collection in each local electoral area. This service would provide local residents with the opportunity to drop off recyclables for free and this waste could be recycled in the Ballymount facility. This service would be accessible to those who cannot travel to Ballymount regularly and those who are not currently availing of curb-side collection services provided by private companies and would be in-line with Government policy on the issue.

REPORT:

Government Waste Policy sets out to achieve the landfill and recycling targets primarily by separation at source through a 3 bin door to door collection service – black, brown and green bins. The Policy relies on the belief that this system is most effective when it is part of an integrated service.

The onus on local authorities is to plan for waste services and infrastructure that deals with other wastes that arise and that are not catered for in the door to door collection. Civic Amenity/ Bring bank facilities are provided for this purpose.  At these facilities residual, organic and dry recyclable wastes are accepted on a small scale so that people can chose to deal with their waste directly.

The Minister has recently announced that a New Waste Policy will shortly go to Cabinet.  It is expected that the integrated 3 bin service offered will remain a key objective of national policy. The Council’s approach is therefore consistent with Government Policy as it stands.

Under Government Policy, all householders are required to arrange for the proper disposal of their household waste. The options available are either to arrange this through a properly licensed Waste Collection service provider or to dispose of the waste directly through facilities provided by the public or private sectors.

All refuse collection service providers are obliged to provide a separate kerbside collection for dry recyclables to householders under the Council's Waste Management Plan and Bye-laws for the Storage Presentation and Collection of Household Waste 2007. South Dublin ranks extremely high in the levels of take up for this collection service option with the benefit to households being that it allows customers of waste collectors to minimise their costs by maximising their recycling.

Any householder choosing to dispose of waste directly can do so through the broad network of bring bank and civic amenities provided throughout the region by Local Authorites and the private sector. In South Dublin, the Council provides a facility for the disposal of residual, dry recycling and other wastes at the Civic Amenity in Ballymount. All of the facilities that householders require for direct disposal of their waste are provided at the facility. Such a facility is a costly operation and requires Licencing from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Council's Waste Management Plan has identified the establishment of another Civic Amenity facility within the county though economic circumstances are prohibitive at this time.

The Council's experience of providing mobile collections in the past (for junk, hazardous waste, W.E.E.E. etc) indicate that any such service is unsustainable on cost and environmental grounds. In addition, the regulatory requirement for licencing at locations, practices etc is prohibitive. This is borne out by research into the experience of other Councils that have tried to operate services similar to the one proposed in the motion. These services were offered to residents who lived significant disctances from the bring facility networks and proved unsuccesful. The services are currently being phased out.

Information on recycling and waste disposal options is available at the Council's website and dublnwaste.ie. An information sheet was recently circulated to all households in the county that give information on managing household waste.