Rubbish charge dodgers will be prosecuted, says council

CORK County Council is set to prosecute people living in north Cork who try to dodge paying for refuse collection.

The warning was issued yesterday by senior council officials who are writing to thousands of homes in the region informing them of strict new guidelines for refuse collection.

Householders who do not put the required number of tags on a wheelie bin or who leave rubbish out without any tags will be prosecuted.

“The council’s waste collection staff have been instructed not to collect waste which is insufficiently tagged, incorrectly tagged or not tagged, and no exception will be made. Any waste presented not properly tagged will be regarded as litter, and prosecutions will be instituted under the Litter Pollution Act, 1997,” a county council spokesman said.

The tag-a-bag system will continue in north Cork for the rest of this year. Next year a new pay by weight system will be introduced, similar to a scheme in west Cork where householders are charged 160 plus 23 cents for each kilo of waste they dispose of.

At the moment it costs 1.2m for the council to collect waste in the north Cork region. In addition the council is faced with even higher costs to dispose of it since it was forced to close Ballyguyroe, the only landfill in the region. Waste from north Cork is now transported to landfills in Carrigtwohill and Youghal.

Wheelie bins with 240 litre capacity will have to have two tags on them, costing 4 each. Standard size dustbins and bags must have one tag attached, and all tags must show the householder’s name, address and date.

The council said the waiver system would still apply to households where the sole income is social welfare. Households with one or two occupants will be entitled to 26 tags a year free while homes where there are three or more people will get 52 tags.

“Only the current year’s tags (green) will be accepted.

Tags issued in previous years can be redeemed at face value at the county council’s offices at Annabella, Mallow,” the council spokesman said.

The council is hoping the guidelines will encourage more people to get involved in recycling. It has 26 bring sites in north Cork and aims to provide at least one bring site in all towns and villages by 2006.