The government has been slammed for its "tokenistic" response to the waste management crisis in Ireland.

SIPTU has urged the government to take real action, after the announcement last week from Environment Minister Richard Bruton that single-use plastic cups, cutlery and straws will not be purchased for use in government offices.

SIPTU Public Administration and Community Division Organiser, Adrian Kane, outlined a recent report by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) into the operation of the domestic waste collection market. It revealed that 23% of households have no service at all.

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He added: "The other major finding of the CCPC report is that Ireland is now the only country in the EU which permits side-by-side competition in domestic waste collection. This leads to multiple providers blocking up the streets of our towns and cities every morning and increasing carbon emissions exponentially at a time when Ireland is failing miserably to meet its carbon emission reduction targets."

Mr Kane continued: "A comprehensive and sustainable approach to waste management must be developed. Side-by-side competition must cease as a matter of urgency in the domestic waste collection sector. The State, through local authorities, must re-enter the domestic waste collection market and finally a nation-wide waiver system must be developed for households who can't afford to pay.

"The State is spending a fortune on cleaning up illegal dumping. It also has to supplement poor wages for workers in the waste industry and enforce regulations in a sector where companies continually attempt to flout them. It would be far cheaper for the State to provide a value for money service for households rather than cleaning up after market failure."

(CM/MH)