Hundreds of northside residents call for real change to the bin bag ban
Hundreds of northside residents call for real change to the bin bag ban - The Labour Party
- Huge turnout of residents from Dublin 7 at City Hall rally on Monday evening to call for changes to the bin bag ban.
- Big win for the campaign as Dublin City Council defers changes until October to allow for consultation.
- Residents highlighted that they simply do not have the space in small cottages and terraced houses for wheelie bins, that roads in many areas of Stoneybatter cannot accommodate both bins and pedestrians, and that many cannot afford the significant increase in costs.
- Consultation must lead to workable solutions to the bin bag ban.
A huge turnout of residents from areas across Dublin 7 affected by Dublin City Council’s proposed bin bag ban gathered for a rally at City Hall on Monday, 6 July, to call on Council executives to go back to the drawing board and bring forward workable alternatives to the proposed ban.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“Our rally proved the real depth of anger that exists in our communities about how DCC has managed this significant change to the way people manage their household waste.
“Our rally was driven by concerns about cost, control and community. All of us care about our streets and despise illegal dumping and litter. We want to see more investment in recycling and composting. We want our communities to have a say in how waste is collected. What we do not want are solutions where the bin companies alone get to call the shots.
“DCC executives attempted to plough ahead with these changes without any consultation with our communities or any meaningful alternatives being brought to the table. Private companies were effectively given a monopoly over the solutions being proposed to residents. That was simply unacceptable. It is not right that residents should be cornered on their own doorsteps into signing expensive waste disposal contracts, especially when many are saying they cannot even fit a wheelie bin through their home.
“There is huge credit due to our Labour councillors in the ruling group on DCC, who secured a deferral of the introduction of the ban until October to allow for consultation. Now, this consultation must actually mean something. This cannot become a delay-and-deflect tactic. The frustration will not disappear if alternatives are not genuinely considered. This is a real opportunity for Dublin City Council to show ambition and once again take the lead on waste management.
“As our Labour Group Leader, Cllr Darragh Moriarty, said: ‘Councils are hamstrung when it comes to managing waste because of the dysfunctional system.’ That is why, on 16 July, the Dáil will debate my Waste Management (Single Household Waste Collection Service) Bill 2026 at Second Stage. Our local authorities need additional powers in relation to waste management that will allow for greater accountability and control.
“This Bill presents a real opportunity to transform waste management by introducing a single tender for waste collection across the city and creating a responsibility on landlords to ensure waste collection for their properties.
“Crucially, we see this Bill as a step in the right direction towards the re-municipalisation of waste. This whole botched effort by DCC highlights the urgent need to transform how we manage waste in this city. We need accountability in waste collection, with real European-style solutions such as shared collection points, compactors and adequate recycling facilities. This is not an insurmountable challenge. Adequate and affordable public services are the very least the people of this city deserve.”