Dublin city centre businesses to be banned from leaving waste in plastic bags for collection

Waste Management

‘For too long commercial premises have been allowed present their rubbish in plastic bags while homeowners have used wheelie bins’.

BUSINESSES IN DUBLIN city centre will be banned from leaving their waste in plastic bags for collection from 16 September.

The new provision preventing commercial premises from presenting their waste in plastic bin bags will begin with a transition period on 16 September and full compliance is expected by 1 January, 2025.

It’s part of a new “3 Pillar Waste Management Strategy” that was announced this evening.

“Dublin is not ‘a dirty old town’ but for too long commercial premises have been allowed present their rubbish in plastic bags while homeowners have used wheelie bins,” said Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan.

“The shop or the restaurant closes and the plastic bag of waste is left in front of the premises to be demolished by a seagull.

He added that people have also begun to rip open these plastic bags in search of containers that can be brought to machines as part of the deposit return scheme.

Geoghan added that Dublin City Council has met with private bin operators, who are going to provide “more flexible solutions for restaurants and shops which have nowhere to put a wheelie bin but without dumping rubbish on the street in a plastic bag”.

In 2016, around 1,000 streets were designated as ‘Bag Collections Areas’.

Properties on these streets were allowed present their waste in plastic bags.

However, Dublin City Council now intends to remove this designation from as many streets as possible.

From 16 September, a transition period will begin for owners and occupiers of retail, commercial and residential buildings in the designated Phase 1 area, who will not be allowed present waste in plastic bags on city streets for collection.

There are 90 streets covered in this phase including, Aungier St, Baggot St Lower, Chatham St, College Green, Dame St, Exchequer St, Fleet St, Grafton St, Kildare St, Molesworth St, Nassau St, Parliament St, St Stephens Green, and Temple Bar.

Meanwhile, Dublin City Council (DCC) will employ an additional 100 operational staff, increasing the workforce to 540.

Over the next three months, DCC will also expand the area of the city centre that receives a 24-hour cleaning service.

DCC is also undertaking an €8.5 million enhancement and upgrade of the waste management fleet, including 22 new sweeper vehicles.

Dublin City Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare described it as an “ambitious new strategy” and added: “I firmly believe that when it comes to any major capital city such as ours, if you can get the basics right that is half the battle.”