Local authority tenants should be obliged to have a bin contract as part of their agreement

A call has been made for all Kildare County Council tenants to have a bin service contract as part of  their agreement to let the property where they live.

This should also apply to tenants of approved housing bodies, which are independent non-profit groups providing rented accommodation for people who cannot afford the private rental market.

Three Labour Party councillors - Mark Leigh, Anne Breen and Rupert Heather - want KCC to ensure that “tenants must have bins on an ongoing contract as part of their rental agreement.”

Cllr Leigh told a KCC  meeting that unauthorised or unlicenced refuse collectors are in some cases responsible for the problem.

KCC official Annette Aspell said the bye laws governing how refuse is disposed of apply to all households and not just tenants of KCC or approved housing bodies.

“Tenants cannot be treated differently,” Ms Aspell said, adding that the council will follow up on individual issues of illegal dumping.

Read more Kildare news

She also said that the council cannot add the cost of a bin service to rent paid by individuals - but the council can engage with households which may be in breach of tenancy agreements.”It is not proposed to implement a separate policy for social housing tenants,” she said.

Every household must be able to prove they use an authorised waste disposal service and are required to segregate recyclable waste and organic waste from residual waste and bin these separately.

Apartment dwellers or people with a management company may use shared facilities and must be able to prove they use these.