Cost of bin collection soars in Fingal

dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report Tuesday November 15, 2005 14:14 by John O'Neill - Irish Socialist Network (Personal capacity)

cost of tag for bin collection in Blanchardstown jumps a massive 50 per cent.

Merry Chrstmas from Fingal County Council. From January 2006 the cost of a bin tag is increasing from 5.00 euro to a whopping seven euro fifty a week! Finglal CC have written to all to advise them of this increase and inform them that "charges are still great value".

As Des Derwin forewarned in his submission to SIPTU on the bin tax.

"The facts of life for an average working family are very different and it is not necessary to detail that for a trade union member. Bin charges are just one aspect of this situation but working people understand that bin charges represent the thin edge of the wedge. They have seen the massive increases in these charges since they were introduced. They know that if the bin tax is established, a water tax will follow. Is it a coincidence that the same day Finance Minister Cowen warns of the burden of high Commercial Rates by Local Authorities on small business that IBEC issues a statement calling for the introduction of a local tax? The agenda is clear, the reintroduction of Domestic Rates through local authority stealth taxes."

Des went on to outline the fact that the implementation of the bin tax is for one purpose only namely the Privatisation of waste management

Des stated: "Some in the trade union movement have argued or have a fear that if we don’t pay the charge the service will be privatised. The reality of what has happened over the last years shows the opposite of this to be the case. About 50% of Local Authorities have privatised the normal bin collection service. The area of green bin services and recycling is probably 100% in the private sector. This process has gone hand in hand with the introduction of bin charges.

The introduction of charges, enabling private companies to make a profit, is a necessary precondition for privatisation. In Dublin city, the more profitable areas like recycling are in private hands. In one year alone the two directors of Oxygen, the company with the contract on the green bin/bag service, were able to pay themselves a dividend of 5 million Euros each. This same company fought a viscous battle to try and prevent SIPTU representing its workforce.

Bin workers in the city now face redundancies, in large part due to the part-privatisation of the service which has taken place. The best way to defend council workers’ jobs and conditions, and to resist further privatisation, is to demand and fight for the green bin service and all areas of waste management"

The people of greater Dublin can look forward to these charges spiralling until they reach sufficient profit margins, high enough that private companies will bid for rubbish collection contracts.