Greyhound Recycling have recently issued letters to over 60,000 households in South Dublin detailing their plans to impose an upfront annual charge for its bin collection

Under this new ‘pricing structure,’customers will now be charged based on the weight of their waste, PLUS a new annual 60 euro service charge to be paid by 1 October.

Despite the fact that many people were given just a couple of week’s warning, they have been threatened in this letter that if they fail to pay this charge, their bins would not be collected. This is a disgrace.

Last April, South Dublin County Council handed over responsibility for refuse collection to Greyhound, bringing nearly 70,000 households under their control. This for-profit Company issued a letter at the time stating that there would be NO increases to service charges.

Only six months later, this act of privatisation has already resulted in the proposed removal of the waiver system next April (affecting 18,000 low-income households), and now this unjust ‘new’ annual fee charge.

Greyhound generated profits of 40 million euro last year, and they hope to increase this to 60 million if they get away with charges like this. Another private company, Thorntons, has followed suit and is introducing a 50 euro annual charge of their own.

The excuses given by SDCC to justify the privatisation of bin services at the time is that it ‘pushes down prices’ and ‘improves services’ for the customer.

However, this is a perfect example of how the cost of services skyrockets as greedy private companies such as Greyhound and Thorntons hike up charges to maximise their profits. What we need are proper recycling facilities and services under democratic public control.

Instead, SDCC handed over this vital service and responsibility to these profiteering companies. All this is very bad news for ordinary working people. Non-stop austerity attacks such as the Universal Social Charge, mortgage interest hikes, gas and electricity increases and planned property and water charges have pushed people beyond breaking point.

This insult is the final straw.

WE CANNOT PAY. WE WILL NOT PAY.