Councils stopping waste collections

TWENTY county and city councils have withdrawn from rubbish collection leaving the service entirely to private operators.

This difference emerged in a waste collection market analysis by Consumer Choice magazine.

It found only 14 local authorities kept an active role in waste collection, but this was diminishing.

Researcher John Cradden said: “As more local authorities pull out of providing collections themselves, the private sector assumes an increasingly important role in waste management, which ought to be reflected in policy-making both at a local and national level.

“An open, competitive market holds too many risks. For example, what would stop operators raising their prices as the market dictates?

“Too many residents could wake up to discover that their waste hasn’t been collected because their service provider has decided it isn’t economically viable to do that particular road due to traffic congestion or poor access,” he said.

Director of the Irish Waste Management Association Erik O’Donovan said: “Local authorities should be involved in either the provision of waste management services and infrastructure or regulation, but not both at the same time.”