Binmen call off action after public outcry

February 1990

ACTION by Dundalk’s binmen, which leaves a mountain of domestic refuse uncollected, is called off following uproar from householders.

Town clerk Paddy Tierney admits there have been plenty of complaints but adds that binmen agree to return to working normally which he presumes means they will collect all the rubbish.

In the meantime, the council will discuss with them their grievances.

The root of the dispute goes back to last year when, as a cost-cutting exercise, the council took one of the bin lorries off the road and absorbed the men elsewhere.

At the same time households were confined to putting out two bins or two plastic bags of rubbish, or one of each, for collection.

After a lot of initial flak, the binmen adopted a flexible attitude to this.

However, towards the end of January they informed the council though their union, the ATGWU, that they were going to strictly implement the agreement from 5 February.

This caught many people unaware and a lot of uncollected domestic rubbish was left lying around.

It led to an outcry, one man making the point you could not regulate the amount of rubbish any one household might have.

One lady revealed that when she complained to the council she was told to take her excess rubbish to the dump and she would not be charged.

This was okay for her but she wondered about those without a car.

She recalled that when binmen called to her door for their Christmas bonus she asked what was being given, and was informed they were getting £5 a house.

She gave £5 along with a half dozen beer. This lady added she has a large household, yet left out only two-and-a-half bags. The half-bag was left behind.