Greens may vote against city budget over 'lack of progress' on recycling

Dublin City Council is set for another round of wrangling over its financial future following a threat by the two Green Party councillors to withdraw their support for council's budget.

Last year, the budget, which contains controversial waste charges, was only passed after the then lord mayor Labour councillor Dermot Lacey broke ranks with his party colleagues to vote for its adoption.

This year the scales may be tipped in the other direction as the two Green councillors Mr Ryan Meade and Ms Claire Wheeler threaten to vote against the budget because of what they say is a lack of progress on waste issues.

According to Mr Meade, the city should be rolling out green recycling bins at a faster rate and should also have a "green bag" system for residents where wheelie-bins were not suitable.

He also said the council should have rolled out brown compost- ing wheelie-bins and bags, introduced a doorstep plastic bottle collection, a city-wide Tetra Pak collection and a tagging system to reward householders who reduced waste.

Mr Meade told The Irish Times that many of the items had been promised for some time. "It is unacceptable that commitments given to the citizens of Dublin in 2001 remain undelivered as we face into the budget for 2004", he said.

"We have looked for these improvements in services and the management has failed to deliver over a number of years. Everybody pays the same amount for a wheelie bin. There is still no incentive to reduce waste."

The councillors have issued a list of demands to the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, aimed at improving the waste infrastructure. Should they be unsuccessful in their demands, the councillors say they will vote against the budget.

While the introduction of waste charges is now a matter for the city manager rather than elected councillors, the councillors may still oppose the charge by refusing to pass the manager's budget.

"We strongly believe in local democracy", said Mr Meade, "and do not take this decision lightly."

Should the council fail to pass a budget within a statutory timeframe it could be disbanded by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen.