Plastic rubbish bags, that are routinely ripped open by seagulls and vermin, are to be banned from Dublin city's streets.
The crackdown will begin this month in 90 areas including Grafton Street, Temple Bar and Baggot Street Lower. The likes of Aungier Street, Baggot Street Lower and Dame Street are also included.
Phase one of the changes will kick in on September 16th, with full compliance expected by January 1st 2025.
Tonight we introduced a new waste management strategy to deliver a cleaner city. This includes a major change that will prevent commercial premises in designated parts of our city centre from presenting their waste in plastic bin bags. #cleancity #dublincity pic.twitter.com/Vbfx6cAoMS
— James Geoghegan - Lord Mayor (@GeogheganCllr) September 2, 2024
One hundred extra staff are being hired to enforce the rules and allow more areas to be cleaned 24-hours a day.
Since 2016, households and businesses on more than a thousand streets, that didn't have space for wheelie bins, have been allowed to put out bags.
Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan says; "Dublin is not ‘a dirty old town’ but for too long commercial premises have been allowed present their rubbish in plastic bags while homeowners have used wheelie bins."
He says while seagulls ripping open the bags is a problem, another issue that has emerged is bags being opened by people looking for containers as part of the return scheme.
