Why Kildare County Council won't be getting back into the household refuse business

Kildare County Council has come out strongly against the idea that it should get involved in providing a refuse collection service - a practice it ceased in 2011.

A request for KCC to set up a subcommittee to oversee the return of domestic waste collection was put forward by a councillor - but was shot down.

Cllr Noel Connolly said the service should be the responsibility of the local authority “either by direct service provision or the licensing of a single operator for each of the municipal districts, which make up the council.”

He said the review should have regard to the existing employees and the need to provide a standard service “which ensures every home is provided with a collection service for glass and compost, along with the standard service of recyclable and general waste collection.”

He told a KCC meeting that the “remunicipalisation” of waste collection is being examined by an Oireachtas committee.

He said there is a need to have a consistent service - at the moment some people don't have brown bins and others don't have a bottle collection service.

The counsellor also said that almost one in four residences have no collection service.

“The current situation is bad for everybody,” he said and he was supported by Cllr Bill Clear who said “every other country in Europe does it.”

Cllr Naoise Ó Cearúil said the cost of illegal dumping is met by the council, which should go to those who don’t have a service and ask where their refuse is going.

And Cllr Peter Hamilton said if households are under financial pressure, domestic refuse collection will be one of the first things to be cut.

Newbridge councillor Chris Pender said there are are a number of collection lorries operating in Newbridge and if the council ran the service this would also relieve traffic volumes.

Read more Kildare news

Cllr Brendan Wyse said the private service was two and half times more efficient.

KCC official Marian Higgins said the council ceased providing the service because of escalating costs and the involvement of the private sector had become significantly more embedded “which was impacting on market share and feasibility.”

She said this was agreed by councillors at the time and she pointed out that many of the  council’s customers base received waivers meaning that the service was partially or totally free.

This in turn created significant financial and operational difficulties so the council got out of it and entered into a concession contract for the operation of Sillot Hill (the civic amenity site and transfer station near Kilcullen) as well as the Athy facility. 

“The culmination of these decisions resulted in the elimination of significant losses and the council being in a better position to finance other valuable services.”

Ms Higgins also said  it is not now practical to re-enter the market for a number of reasons because it would particularly difficult to recapture market share in a meaningful way and there's  a high risk of a legal challenge to any legislation that seeks to implement such a change.

She also pointed to “very significant costs (waste disposal, insurance, staffing and vehicles) involved which, in turn, would impinge on the council’s ability to provide other key services.

Such a change would also require a significant change in government policy, which is unlikely to happen in light of European Union legislation. 

Currently the majority of the county is served by a kerb-side collection which includes a recycling and organic element, supplemented by a network of bring/bottle banks and two civic amenity sites. The National Waste Permit Collection Office (NWPCO) require all operators to provide 3 bin types in line with current licensing requirements. Any company granted a waste collection permit by the NWCPO, may compete in any waste market and any local authority administrative area authorised in that permit.

KCC chief executive Sonya Kavanagh said the council would get all of the customers on waivers. “I don’t see how it would be financially viable.”