Rubbish row - Skyrocketing charges add to waste crisis

CONCENTRATING the popular mind in a way no politician could ever hope to achieve, the soaring cost of waste disposal is poised to hit Ireland’s householders where it will hurt most, namely their pockets.

Few issues are more calculated to arouse emotions than the thorny question of waste.

Given the appalling image of landfill sites, not to mention the perceived threat to public health of proposed incinerators, people can be forgiven for harbouring genuine fears.

But as Ireland becomes more affluent, local authorities face ever increasing problems in tackling waste disposal. Fuelled by the NIMBY - not in my backyard - syndrome, more people are now espousing the principles of reusing, reducing, and recycling domestic waste with such enthusiasm that bin collectors have voiced fears for their jobs.

But if anyone expected costs to fall because of the marked reduction in domestic waste volumes, they will be sorely disappointed. On the contrary, the cost of coping with Ireland’s rapidly growing mountain of waste is set to soar.

If anything, the problem will get worse when landfill sites up and down the country reach full capacity and dump closure deadlines approach.

In some areas, the cost of refuse disposal is expected to double in the next three to five years.

Depending on where people live, it could cost the average home owner a whopping €23 for the privilege of having just one wheelie bin emptied by the local council.

As today’s breakdown shows, the main landfill site in Longford has been closed since 1999. In Wexford, the dump was shut down last Friday.

In neighbouring Waterford, the county facility is set to close by the end of this year. Problems are also looming in the West where Galway’s dump is due for closure on December 31.

In South Tipperary and Kilkenny the main landfill facilities are nearly full. And the local authority in Carlow is seeking to have its disposal licence extended.

Not surprisingly, the crisis is confronting city, town and county authorities with a major challenge to urgently address the issue of waste.

Invariably, that will mean charging people through the nose for disposing of their refuse.

Officials in Waterford and Wexford have conceded that charges will rise significantly. Thus, according to latest estimates, householders in Co Waterford will have to fork out €23 to have one wheelie bin emptied on a weekly basis.

As is clear from the survey, many other counties now face increases on a similar scale.

In Wexford, for instance, in order to meet the €2.5m per annum cost of transporting its waste, householders will have to pay up to €100 more per annum.

Unfortunately, in many parts of the country, and generally in the more remote and scenic areas, irresponsible individuals and rogue waste transporters have taken to dumping their rubbish indiscriminately.

Such behaviour is intolerable, anti-social, anti-environment and a crime against the community. Every effort must be made to bring the culprits to account. Anyone who is aware of their identity should not hesitate to blow the whistle.

While the Green Party may be accused of going over the top by blaming government and local authorities for allowing the controversy to develop with the aim of bullying citizens into supporting incineration, the charge will have the effect of highlighting the urgency of robust, open and meaningful debate on the growing crisis of waste in Ireland.