Residents dump rubbish at town hall

January 2000

PUBLIC ANGER over the local authorities’ waste collection policy erupted this week in Wicklow as furious residents dumped their rubbish outside the town hall.

Taking a stand over the failure of the council to collect household waste since the week before Christmas, a large group of people from Leitrim Place, Bath Street and the Murrough made their way to Market Square at 6 p.m. in the evening.

They then proceeded to leave up to 40 bags of rubbish at the entrance to the town hall – headquarters of Wicklow Urban District Council.

Passers-by congratulated the residents on their actions, with one man saying ‘it was a good idea’ and he hoped that other groups around the town would follow suit.

One bag each was taken from each house involved, while bags belonging to elderly residents who couldn’t come were brought up on their behalf.

The spark that lit the flame was the fact that the waste collection due to take placed on Monday, December 27, never happened, and didn’t take place on the Monday of this week either.

Anger was also expressed over the privatisation of the waste collection.