Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this important motion. I welcome the debate on waste management. I will focus my remarks on the municipalisation of waste disposal. I have been proud to see my colleague and comrade, Councillor Daithí Doolan, playing a leading role on this issue in Dublin City Council over the years. A coalition of political parties and trade unions brought their demands in this regard to the Oireachtas last year, organised by Fórsa, SIPTU and Sinn Féin. After that presentation, there could be no doubt about what needs to be done in terms of bringing bin collection back into public ownership, where it belongs.

A report by the Institute of Public Administration highlighted that Dublin is the Wild West of waste collection services in Europe. The bin companies no longer serve the interests of householders or the environment. A survey found that 14% of consumers were not getting the service for which they paid. We have been led to believe the EU is making Ireland deliver privatisation in the waste management sector. We have ended up with a fragmented system in which each company is competing with the others for every household contract. Multiple bin lorries are driving down city streets, duplicating work and driving up emissions and air pollution. The cost savings and lower bills from competition never materialised because of the waste built into the system.

This cannot be allowed to continue. The public deserves better. Elsewhere in Europe, waste companies compete for the whole market rather than individual household business. It is a much more sensible approach that produces a waste management system in which resources are efficiently allocated to collecting waste, without multiple lorries clogging up cities. It also delivers lower costs. Ultimately, taking the bin service back into public ownership will require the Government to introduce legislation to allow Dublin City Council to take back the service. Across Europe, the momentum is behind taking local services back under the control of local authorities.

Following the briefing in the audiovisual room last year, a cross-party committee was established. I commend its work. If elected, Sinn Féin will deliver the change that is much needed. I note that we are the only party to include measures, in our alternative manifesto, for the remunicipalisation of waste management. This will be of benefit to householders struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. It will help to tackle climate change and end the scourge of littering and illegal dumping. As Senator Hoey said, dumping is not the same problem in other European cities as it is here. What is missing is a comprehensive approach to waste management. If we are serious about tackling illegal dumping, bringing waste management back in-house is an important step. I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward the motion. It has Sinn Féin's full support.