Sir, – I sympathise with Padraic Staunton’s views about Government inaction on litter (June 7th). Indeed the authorities are far more culpable than his letter suggests.
First, while the washing machine abandoned at the roadside can be dropped free at a recycling centre, the carpet (his other example) cannot. My local recycling centre, Ballyogan, charges €30 for a car bringing general waste. Bizarrely, these charges are based, not on load, but on the vehicle arriving, which is essentially none of their business and does not necessarily reflect the amount of rubbish brought. Under these rules, an estate car with a very large load is charged €30 but a small car with trailer and a small load is charged €60. I challenged this nonsense with Ballyogan to no avail. I then referred the charges to the ombudsman’s office and was told it is outside its remit as it is a reserved function for councillors.
Second, under the new pay-by-weight regulations coming into force on July 1st, many households will have to pay far more than their current charges for domestic waste collection. In Greystones, as in many other areas, the simple bag system, where the householder bays only for the waste collected, is now banned and householders will have to pay an annual registration fee of between €74 (Greenstar) and €104 (Thorntons) on top of the collection charge. While the Government has set maximum charges per kilo collected, it has not specified any limits on registration fees, so giving free rein to private companies to generate substantial profits from this new legislation. These charges are well in excess of the total bag charges I currently pay without any collection costs added. Of course, the property tax, which covers these services in Europe, does not pay for them here.
Third, local authorities refuse to take any action against the delivery of junk mail to homes clearly marked with no junk mail signs. I contacted Wicklow County Council to have action taken against companies involved in these deliveries but their legal opinion is that a case brought under anti-dumping legislation would not succeed – a view I dispute – and it is unwilling to take a test case. Even Irish Business against Litter, despite its title, refuses to take any action on these deliveries.
Irish anti-litter legislation and regulation do not favour the law-abiding citizen. – Yours, etc,
DONAL McGRATH,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.