Disposal in bin lorry ‘a breach of procedure’

DUBLIN City Council said the disposal of fridges or freezers into a bin lorry was “a breach of procedure” and would be dealt with appropriately.

“Fridges and freezers should be collected in the flat-bed lorry provided and any departure from that is a breach of procedure,” said Niall O’Keeffe of the council’s Waste Management Services department.

Mr O’Keeffe first said all bulky household waste was collected by a flat-bed lorry and was brought to a transfer station for separation.

“There are (fridges and freezers) not being put into a bin lorry, they’re being put into a flat bed truck. No fridge should be going in the back of a bin lorry,” he said.

In subsequent clarification, he said the damage he was referring to was not the risk of releasing CFC gas, but the damage to the packing mechanism on the freighter.

Mr O’Keeffe said bin lorries were sometimes used when flat-bed trucks break down or if there was a heavy load. He said while collecting fridges and freezers in a bin lorry was against procedures, it did not breach EU regulations.

Referring to the disposal of the fridge last week in south Dublin, he said: “Although the fridge was collected in a refuse freighter, it would be separated at the transfer station from material going to landfill.”

Asked how material compacted together can be separated, he said: “All material is emptied into a pit to be screened. Items unsuitable for bailing (landfill) are removed.”

Asked how fridges and freezers can be compacted without the risk of releasing CFC gases, he said: “This happens only in exceptional circumstances and the risk of environmental pollution is minimal.”

He said the council collects around 170 fridges and freezers a week from all sources, including the household collection. Last year, the council collected 6,500.

He said they were stored and shipped to a decontamination plant in England. DCC is one of the few local authorities to operate a bulky household collection free of charge.