Sir, – The immortal words of Morecambe and Wise adequately describe the Government’s handling of waste collection: “What do you think of it so far? Rubbish!” – Yours, etc,
KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
A chara, – If we do end up having to pay for waste by weight, will we then be permitted to remove and discard, while waiting for the till, all the unnecessary packaging surrounding so much of the fruit and vegetables in some supermarkets? Now there is waste! – Yours, etc,
ANNE ALCOCK,
Cork.
Sir, – Is there something lurking in the swamp on which the Department of the Environment’s Custom House is built? Something very murky is afoot as it sabotages one ministerial career after another.
First, Phil Hogan introduced water charges in the most hamfisted arrangement imaginable. A scheme to invest off balance sheet failed the EU test; “conservation” grants were given to many of those who refused to pay refuse charges; a hubristic Irish Water agency squandered its credibility – and that of the minister – on a madcap bonus and consultancy ethos before its final virtual collapse by public demand.
Next up, Alan Kelly was presented with an apparent housing crisis fuelled by excessive government charges and red tape while Dublin at least had publicly owned apartments and houses that were classed as “voids”.
And now, having barely survived the first bin charges fiasco, the Department of the Environment is driving Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney into the mire by allowing waste collectors run rings around its light-touch regulatory regime. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL ANDERSON,
Balgriffin,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – Having just read the letter from Stephen Bathe (June 18th), I have undertaken a similar experiment, using my statements for 2015 to calculate how much I could end up paying under the new regime.
My bin company has given me a choice between two plans. My standing charge for 2015 was €55. Under the first option (€2.49 per week), the new standing charge is now €129.48. Under the second option (€2.25 per week), the annual standing charge is €117. That’s quite a hike.
Having gone through 12 months of statements, I’ve found that the full cost (standing charge plus bin collections – two grey bins of 11.5 kg in total and seven brown bins of 196 kg in total) for 2015 was €89.34.
Under the first new option using pay by weight, the annual total sum would calculate as €179.50. Under the second option, this increases to €184.21.
I recycle as much as possible, taking glass to the local recycling point (thankfully within walking distance as I don’t drive), using the green bin to its maximum and also using a compost bin in the back garden. Thankfully, I can avail of these options; some cannot.
I would also love to hear from even one person who makes up the 87 per cent who will pay less under these new proposed schemes.
I am also opting to send my calculations to my TDs. I would suggest that others do the same. – Yours, etc,
COLETTE CARROLL,
Coolock,
Dublin 17.
Sir, – I believe we should dump the weight and remain as we have bin. – Yours, etc,
CLAIRE KENNEDY,
Bushypark,
Galway.
Sir, – Bin charges? Another fine mess. – Yours, etc,
ANNA LYNCH,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – I am old enough to remember when our refuse bins were collected, water supplied, roads cleaned and maintained and many other services were paid for by our rates, which were so cynically abolished in 1977 by Fianna Fáil to fulfil a pre-election commitment. – Yours, etc,
HELENE O’BRIEN,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – The dogma of waste management is that the polluter pays. The proposed going rate will be upwards of 35 cent per kilo.
Why not also reward the recycler and offer credit for every kilo of waste that enters a green bin? I suggest an incentive of upwards of 35 cent a kilo. A “back of an envelope” calculation thus suggests that my charges would increase by less than 30 per cent, and not 58 per cent as looks likely.
Dr STEPHEN SMITH,
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.
Sir, –Tom Finn's advice to remove packaging from goods in the shop just after we pay for them is much appreciated (June 18th). However, this operation might require certain equipment that one wouldn't normally carry on a shopping expedition: protective gloves, a set of pliers, a saw and/or a sharp pair of scissors. As the late Terry Wogan once quipped, "Have you tried to break into a toothbrush lately?" – Yours, etc,
ORLA NÍ MHAICÍN,
Moycullen,
Co Galway.