‘Add bin cost to Limerick council tenants’ monthly rent’

LOCAL authority tenants who do not pay for a bin service should have it added to their monthly rent, a councillor has said.

Green Party member Sean Hartigan proposed at this week’s housing committee meeting to introduce the controversial measure in the wake of a rise in illegal dumping in lockdown.

“I realise the vast majority of tenants are very responsible. But there are a percentage of people in private and rented houses who do not have bins. You have to force their hand to have a bin,” he said.

He said a way around doing this is if you do not have a bin, or present evidence to the council you are availing of a collection service, then the cost should be taken at month-end.

The City East member claimed that one problem at the moment is a lack of street bins.

He claimed council will not provide more than what is there at the moment, as they’re fearful that they’ll be used for domestic rubbish.

”Then you have the issue of illegal dumping where people don't have household bins just drive along at night. If no light is behind them or ahead of them, you just throw the bin out,” Cllr Hartigan said, “Huge levels of council resource is wasted in trying to enforce littering laws, in setting up cameras to catch people doing illegal dumping. It's not working. The only way around that is to ensure everyone has a bin outside their front door.”

His motion was withdrawn in order for the local authority to seek legal advice.

Labour councillor Conor Sheehan while he’d be supportive of the spirit of the motion, he doesn’t feel it is fair to single out local authority tenants.

For his part, Cllr Hartigan said he only spoke of local authority tenants because he’s not sure how private homeowners and renters could be monitored.

Cllr Sheehan said: “There could be a myriad of reasons as to why somebody cannot pay for a bin. I understand what he’s trying to do, but I feel its very unfair to target people in social housing.”