Dublin's Temple Bar area is getting rid of the clutter of "Euro-bins" clogging its footpaths as part of a wider waste management initiative that places the priority on recycling.
Half of the 100-plus bins, each with a capacity of 1,100 litres, have already been taken off the streets, according to Ms Tambra Dillon, general manager of Temple Bar Properties.
From January 1st, the bins - introduced three years ago by TBP to eliminate heaps of black plastic refuse sacks - will be treated as litter and subject to on-the-spot fines of €120.
It has been estimated that more than 90 per cent of the waste tonnage in Temple Bar comes from business premises, particularly pubs, restaurants and hotels, many of which have stored it on the street.
A detailed analysis carried out by Earthwatch on behalf of TBP identified glass - mainly beer and wine bottles - as the largest single category of waste, accounting for 30 per cent of the total.
But from January 1st, Dublin Corporation will no longer accept glass in commercial quantities for disposal at the Baleally landfill in north Co Dublin because it has been banned by Fingal County Council.
The imposition of a landfill levy of £15 per tonne from the same date has also prompted the corporation to review its charge of £8.46 per Eurobin; this is now expected to be doubled from January 1st.
Rehab Recycling, which pioneered the introduction of bottle banks in Ireland, has now been commissioned by TBP to provide a glass recycling collection service for business premises in Temple Bar.
According to TBP, this should result in up to 30 per cent of all of the glass waste being recycled by Christmas, with the proportion rising significantly next year as more businesses join the scheme.
The initiative, which is being backed by TASCQ (Traders in the Area Supporting the Cultural Quarter), is to be extended to other key waste streams, including paper and packaging, during 2002.
TBP and TASQ, in partnership with Karcher Ireland Ltd, have also introduced a dedicated street vacuum cleaner in the Temple Bar area to augment the cleansing services provided by the corporation.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, yesterday described the initiative as a good example of partnership between the public and private sectors in dealing with waste management.
He said that if more emphasis was placed on recycling, there would be less need for the disposal facilities - whether landfill or incineration - that had created controversy in parts of the State.
