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)
