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# litterbugs
Dublin council removes 48 street bins to deter illegal dumping
A local Sinn Féin representative believes that most offenders simply can’t afford to pay domestic bin charges.
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL have started removing public bins in residential areas to deter people from dumping domestic rubbish in them.
Since January 2011, 48 bins have been removed from the Dublin City area in a bid to cease this public littering.
Sinn Féin representative for Dublin West Paul Donnelly told TheJournal.ie that at least two bins have been removed from his area at the request of local residents who were “exasperated” by the build up of domestic waste outside their homes.
Donnelly said most of the people involved were those who could not afford to pay their bin charges and were looking for a less damaging way of getting rid of waste.
“As people feel the financial pressure more and more in the coming years I think we’re going to see this become a real problem,” Donnelly said.
Sean Purcell from the council’s Waste Management Division said today that “the main deterrent for littering is the liklihood of getting caught”, but with just 25 litter wardens on duty, the risks are not very high.
Around 5,000 people are fined each year for littering offences but Purcell said people disposing of domestic waste in public bins “are cute enough and don’t leave documents that would identify them”.
Purcell said the practice of removing public bins that are being abused will continue as it has been effective so far in discouraging people from dumping in those particular spaces.
Donnelly said in this economic climate there was no quick and easy solution to the problem and added: “The council can’t take away every bin.” He appealed to people not to continue to leave their household waste on or around street bins and to report any illegal dumping they witness to 01 8905000.
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