Council endangers public health of all residents
The City council has announced that they will start non-collection next week - with two routes selected to leave rubbish behind. Will your neighbourhood be one of the lucky ones the council has decided to be fair to?
The city Council announced today that they would be leaving bins behind on the streets of Dublin city from next week 'to be far to those who have paid waste charges'.
Is it fair to override the decision of Dublin City's elected ouncillors to collect all bins?
Is it fair to expose the residents of Dublin to the public health risks assocated with uncollected rubbish on our streets?
Is it fair to penalise people for non-payment of a charge which has been found illegal three times in court, decision which the council is now apealing to the Supreme Court?
This decision will affect all residents of our city. In the waste management report for 2004 by the Environmental Protection Agency it was revealed that 220,000 tonnes of rubbish was left around the country to be burned or flytipped as a direct result of non-collection. 25% of households no longer avail of a kerbside collection. In 2003, Doctors in Cork warned of the dangers of rats and Weils disease when rubbish was left on the streets in large uran areas.
The Dublin Anti Bin tax campaign will be calling public meetings this week to discuss how to deal with this decision. But be under no illusions, while it is presented as a mechanism to be fair to those who have paid their waste charges, the impact will be felt by all residents in our city.