Call for return of Laois council bin collections to curb dumping

Bringing back the council bin collections for households could prevent dumping in the countryside, a Laois councillor has said.

Cllr Aisling Moran wants Laois County Council to revive its bin service, as widespread illegal dumping continues to pose a huge problem across the county.

This January and February alone, the council gathered 78 tonnes of waste, which Director of Services Simon Walton estimates cost €10,000 to €13,000 to send to landfill, with much of the items recyclable.

CCTV use to catch dumpers continues to await new Government legislation to be enacted. 

Cllr Aisling Moran wants the council to bring back its bin service.

"You provide bins, make them pay, and if they don't pay go out and ask them for proof," she said.

The Laois Director of Services Simon Walton said they don't have the funding or responsibility any more.

"We are not involved in bins since the mid 1990s. In Dublin it has been reintroduced. But Laois County Council is not funded or resourced to provide bins to residents. Our only role is to seek evidence from households of a bin service," he said.

He described the work by staff to continuously clean up dumped waste from the countryside as “soul-destroying”.

“For the people in our environment section it is soul destroying. We cannot bring our CCTV to bear on dumping problems. It is estimated that it will be the end of 2022 before the legal quandry is resolved,” he said at the March council meeting.

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Cllr James Kelly described dumping as a pandemic.

"It's terrible what's being dumped. I know evidence has been found. We have a prohibition on CCTV, the resources are not there with three litter wardens, one per municipal district. I do believe we need extra help," he said.

Bin providor inspections are however now underway, where the council can use its legal power to request proof of proper waste disposal, going door to door. 

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley noted that it is acceptable also for residents to prove that they share a bin with a neighbour. 

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"The concern I have is that it is adequately resourced. There are blackspots where the letters went out and half replied, the other half didn't. We had a stalemate, what happens next?" she said.

Cllr Aidan Mullins also said that the bin contract inspections must be funded properly.

"I would love to see how it works in the long term," he said.