Scrap The Bin Charges- Get Feet On The Street

From September, the government plans to allow waste disposal companies to charge by weight.

This is code for price gouging and the public are furious. To organise this anger, we want our branches to call street meetings in areas where we had success on water. The way to do this is to drop around a basic leaflet announcing the street meeting the night before. On the day, explain what we know, push people power as the main solution and remined people that left-wing reps will re-nationalise the service.

We are also looking for a major demonstration in September. Below are some useful propaganda arguments – particularly for those in Dublin.

  • Higher Costs. Privatisation has been a disaster. It has meant ever increasing costs, with some companies increasing their charges on an annual basis. So far this has been held back by the government, but this is about to change. From September companies can use a combination of standing charges, pay per-lift, pay per-kilogramme, pay by weight-bands, and weight allowance charges. This will almost certainly mean higher costs.
  • Price Gouging. Last year the government lifted a ban on pay by weight. In response, the companies immediately hiked up their charges. Thornton’s and Greyhounds went from a standing charge of €50 per year to between €100 and €150. This is likely to happen again.
  • Environmental Destruction. The privatisation of the bins has been a disaster for the environment. Greyhound have been fined at least three times by the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to store waste properly. Oxigen Waste have also been fined many times for cutting corners.
  • Major Inefficiency. We were told that private companies are more efficient. This is a lie. Currently there are three bins and at least two companies in every area. This means six trucks coming to pick up waste on a monthly cycle. The Council could do two runs and be more efficient.
  • Workers’ Rights. In 2014, Greyhound locked workers out of their jobs for weeks on end. The owners were making profits but they wanted to attack the terms and conditions of their workers. Council staff would have better terms and conditions. This would help workers overall.