Dublin city's household waste collection service could be privatised under new proposals from Dublin City Council to allow companies to tender for waste collection contracts throughout the Dublin region.
The council, on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities, is proposing to alter the region's Waste Management Plan to state that household waste collection will be carried out either by the local authority or by a private company chosen through a public tendering process.
The change is being proposed to stop the proliferation of waste collection companies which are competing for business in some local authority areas.
Currently any business with a waste collection permit can offer services to householders, leading to a situation where several different companies are collecting refuse in a single housing estate.
Three companies have started collecting waste in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area in the last 12 months, in addition to the service provided by the local authority, while three private companies are also competing for business in the South Dublin local authority area.
Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council operate their own collection service for general domestic refuse. However, if the waste management plan is changed, these services could be put out to public tender.
"There is a possibility that the city's waste collection service will be put out to tender, and if we're not going to collect it, we at least want an orderly transfer from the public sector to the private sector," assistant city manager Matt Twomey said.
Private companies currently operating in the market were not providing the same service as local authorities, Mr Twomey said.
Establishing a tender process would not only regulate the number of providers but would ensure that those providers operated to standards set down by the local authority.
