The ULA TDs condemn the privatisation of Dublin City Council’s waste collection service. Joan Collins TD (People Before Profit/United Left Alliance Dublin South Central) said:
After a 148 years of unbroken service to the city, it is now the last Local Authority to privatise the waste collection. The ULA acknowledges the powerful Anti Bin Tax Campaign who fought so well against the implementation of a charge for waste as we were well aware that once a service is commodified and there is a majority compliance, as sure as night follows day, private companies are waiting in the wings to principally make a profit out of the service.
It is no accident that Dublin City Council was the last local authority to privatise because it had such a huge non compliance up to 2-3 years ago. €65 million euro is arrears remains.
Clare Daly TD (Socialist Party/United Left Alliance Dublin North) said:
We also condemn the disgraceful and chaotic handing over of Dublin City Councils waste collection to Greyhound. The €100 charge to be paid within 30 days is contrary to the polluter pays principle.
Dublin City Council households will also be receiving an average bill of €70 to €80 for the last quarter of 2011 in the next 10 days, if not paid households waste will not be collected.
There needs now to be strict regulation to ensure that private companies conform to the highest of standards, both in the collection of waste and in the conditions and pay of their workers and there needs to be legislation introduced to put in place a bond to secure a waste service for households who pay in advance for collection, in case of private companies going into liquidation.
However even if this was achieved we still hold to the view that this service should be run publicly.
