How does the refuse collection system in Ireland work? Coming from Scotland to rent.

ajapale said:

Can you point to the piece of leglislation which outlaws placing rubbish in litter bins?

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LITTER POLLUTION ACT, 1997 apparently putting household waste in public bins is bold


http://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Environment/Litter/Litter%20and%20the%20Law.html

Did you know that under Litter Pollution Act 1997, you are breaking the law when....

• You create litter in a public place - this can be throwing a cigarette butt or sweet papers on the ground or dumping your waste in hedges or bogs
• You present your household refuse for collection in a manner that creates litter – this means that when you put your waste out for collection, it must be secure so waste cannot be blown around
• You own, hire or drive a car and litter is dropped from it
• You fail to clean up if your dog fouls in certain public places, whether on the street or at a park or on the beach or - be warned - in the garden of another person’s house
• You put your household waste into public litter bins
• You place items such as cardboard boxes at glass bottle banks

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Thanks Windup,

I wonder how easy the litter bin provision is to enforce.

aj

Eithneangela said:

We don't use a refuse collection... waste amounts to a tiny plastic bag per week, which we tidily dispose of in one of the many public bins located in shopping centres and around many facilities.

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Er, and what if everybody did this?

ajapale said:

I wonder how easy the litter bin provision is to enforce.

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In the scenario quoted here, I'm guessing the bin is on private property. I wonder does this complicate matters.

ajapale said:

Thanks Windup,

I wonder how easy the litter bin provision is to enforce.

aj

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Probably impossible if the bag is tiny and disposed of discreetly especially since they don't seem to be putting many resources into catching people who litter publicly and in a disgusting manner likely to cause a health hazard. I can't see a litter warden stopping someone who actually drops something very very small into a bin and doesnt cause a public health hazard. I can't see people accepting being stopped while the bag is opened to determine what is inside either and I can't see it being easy to prove who dropped what. In fact I would see it as one of those practical compromises that makes sense as otherwise who knows where rubbish would end up. If I have a bunch of sweet wrappers , half eaten food etc in my car can I not get out of the car and place it into a litter bin or am I supposed to take it home ?

I should add that when we have more that a small tidy bag to dispose of (and I mean the size of the little plastic baggies that are available for veggies in supermarkets or sandwich bags, which I purchase for this express purpose) we use a local facility in a garage whereby we pay €7 to dispose of a fairly hefty bag of waste. We only need to do this a couple of times a year - usually to dispose of aerosols, bottle lids, and stuff like this which is not safely recyclable. We also recycle used batteries and light bulbs in the recycle centre.

I'm a veggie - so our compost bin is very happy! We use the output to help cultivate the plants around the garden, and my parsley and mint beds.

We're probably lucky that there is no standing charge for waste, however I think that overall we are helping the environment and the economy - that carefully segregated waste of ours is compacted and sold.

Eithneangela said:

We also recycle used batteries and light bulbs in the recycle centre.

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I always drop my used batteries into those boxes which are in all the Aldi and Lidl stores.