The Workers’ Party have said that if Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government Simon Coveney is serious about tackling the cartel that now controls domestic waste collection then he should re-municipalise the service and scrap refuse charges.
Cllr. Ted Tynan
Cork based Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan, who was jailed for opposition to refuse and water charges in the 1990s, said that householders already pay for these charges through general taxation which had been provided for decades by local authorities. He said that the privatisation of the system had been a disaster for householders as had been predicted by the Workers’ Party and others. The service should be taken back into the hands of the local authorities and funded from central taxation.
“People were told that privatising refuse charges would bring in competition and lower prices. They were told the service would be improved and that waivers for those on low incomes would be protected. All such claims had been proved to be utterly false and instead private companies had made millions, thousands of jobs had been shed and a powerful and selfish cartel had been formed”
Cllr. Tynan said that instead of encouraging people to recycle waste the private refuse system made it virtually impossible for working class people. Introducing the pay-by-weight system would drive many people who would otherwise be enthusiastic recyclers into illegal dumping because they simply could not afford to pay.
He concluded by saying the waste collection debacle was a stark warning of what is to come if Irish Water and water charges are not completely scrapped. “The government must decide which is more important – the provision of properly run essential services such as water and waste management to protect public health or the creation of vast private profits for the few. Only a public system can serve the public need fairly and efficiently”, said Cllr. Tynan.