Bin tax: what our campaign is really all about
Contrary to the statements of ministers that a mere 100 or so protesters are involved, recent figures from Dublin city council reveal that out of 164,136 households, 70,000 have not paid any bin tax in 2003.
However, Dan Buckley finds it perplexing that the protesters adopt an 'ultra-rightist' position by refusing to pay the tax.
This is not the argument.
The point made by the campaigners is that this is a double tax because we have already paid for waste collection services through our PAYE tax.
No one is objecting to paying for bin collection or public services we just refuse to pay twice.
Dan Buckley also makes the common media error of claiming that the campaign is run by the Socialist Party and Sinn Féin.
In fact, the vast majority of activists and campaigners throughout working class areas of Dublin are ordinary residents, and not members of any party.
Dan Buckley blames the waste crisis on "over-dependence on landfills, opposition to incineration and little interest in recycling".
While he expands on the first two points he does not address recycling. The "little interest in recycling" is not a lack of concern by the general public; it is the result of decades of complete disinterest by government and local authorities.
This is why many of us find it difficult to stomach the new-found environmental concern of parties such as Fianna Fáil.
The Campaign Against the Bin Tax encourages recycling and reuse and urges the greater provision of local recycling facilities and bring centres.
The campaign has also pointed out the hypocrisy of politicians shouting about recycling while at the same time allowing the closure of the only glass recycling facility in the state.
It is not ironic that Dublin has a lower rate of bin tax than rural counties now relying on privatised services. Dublin city council raised the bin tax by 30% for 2003 and an even steeper rise is expected for 2004.
The aim is to make the waste collection service profitable for private industry before it is sold off, with serious implications for the livelihoods of bin workers.
Private services outside Dublin have led to higher charges, fewer jobs and greater pollution and illegal dumping.
The article quotes Minister Martin Cullen claiming that each person in Ireland produces 700kg of waste per year, but gives no source for this figure.
In contrast, recent figures from the Government-funded Environment Protection Agency show that normal residential waste going to landfill amounts to just 15% of the annual total.
Thus the ordinary householder is not to blame for the waste mountain, the rats, etc, in the recent Government TV advert.
The reality is that the individual consumer is not responsible for the production of waste.
The food industry and retailers are to blame for the vast over-packaging of goods and the shopper has no control over this.
Joe Mooney,
Secretary,
Dublin Campaign Against the Bin Tax,
East Wall,
Dublin 3.
