Huge turnout at Bins meeting - inner city communities demand consultation on bin bag changes
- Over 300 people turned out to public meeting hosted by local TD Marie Sherlock last night to express frustration at the planned waste collection changes instigated by Dublin City Council.
- Introduction of ban on bin-bags could be crucial in fight to keep our streets cleaner, if it is done right. But DCC’s plan has amounted to a botched effort.
- Dysfunctional waste system in Ireland means that all the power is with private bin companies to decide cost and where and when they collect.
Labour TD for Dublin Central has called on Dublin City Council to urgently review their proposed plans to ban bin-bag disposal in many parts of the north inner city. Deputy Sherlock was speaking following a public meeting she hosted last night in Stoneybatter attended by over three hundred residents.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“Last night’s extraordinary attendance of our meeting reflects the significant anger from the community about the lack of consultation regarding the proposed ban on bin-bags. The reality is that these botched changes reflect the level of dysfunction when it comes to waste management in our city. Instead of Dublin City Council taking ownership over alternatives and making the bin-bag ban workable, they have left it to private companies to bring the solutions. This is a complete abdication of responsibility towards residents across the north inner city.
“The outcome from the meeting is clear. Dublin City Council must now press the reset button on these changes and engage with the north inner city. I have said explicitly I want to see the bin-bag ban made workable for local communities. I’m conscious that there are many others who argue that they want to hold onto bags. Whatever people’s preference, the consensus is very clear: we need to have real engagement with communities on what is appropriate and possible.
“We support any changes that will make our city cleaner, but they must be done right. We cannot accept a situation where the Council devolves responsibility for alternatives to for-profit waste management companies, where households will end up paying dramatically greater amounts for waste collection in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and they will have less incentive to reduce waste. I am concerned that there will be a greater prospect of wheelie bins left on streets because of people will simply not have the space to store them.
“These changes should not be a fait accompli. Dublin City Council have a real opportunity here to engage with residents and bringing innovative solutions to the table. Residents now demand that. Last night’s meeting was more than just residents articulating their anger. There was a real will for solutions and engagement. There was also a clear recognition that at the heart of this issue is the diminishing power of local government and the dysfunction in how we manage waste in our city.
“On Thursday, 16th of July, the Waste Management (Single Household Waste Collection Service) Bill 2026, will move to second stage in the Dáil. I introduced this Bill to the Dáil in February this year. This debate presents a real opportunity to transform waste by creating a responsibility on landlords to ensure waste collection for their properties and introducing a single tender for waste management in the city. Crucially, we see this Bill as a step in the right direction towards the re-municipalisation of waste.
“Dublin City Council must go back to the drawing board, engage with impacted communities, and come to the table with the much-needed transformative solutions to clean up our streets.
ENDS