Confusion remains over delayed brown bin roll-out

Confusion remains over the long-awaited introduction of the food waste (brown) bin service to Athlone. Westmeath County Council introduced a bye-law in the middle of last year to encourage the recycling of food waste within Athlone, Moate and Mullingar after a successful pilot scheme. The bins were meant to have been rolled out in Athlone from July 1, 2010 and in Moate from January 1, 2011, by the various private waste collection companies However, some households are only receiving information about the brown bins now, which appear to be available to customers on an optional basis. There is also a question mark over whether the brown bins should be provided to households free of charge or should be paid for. In October of last year, following a query from Cllr Alan Shaw (FG), Westmeath County Council wrote to the waste collectors outlining their obligation to provide this service to all their customers. But the council said that the response was “disappointingâ€. The council told the councillor it was going to examine the waste bye-laws with a view to taking legal action against those waste collectors who fail to provide the service. Oxigen Environmental started up the brown bin collection this month. The company distributed leaflets to customers in residential areas, informing them that the brown bin itself will cost €40 and the fortnightly collection service costs €6. Oxigen could not be contacted for a comment before going to print yesterday. A spokesperson for Wallace said that the brown bin service is available and is being advertised on posters in shops, but that there is very little interest in it among the public at the moment. Around 15 households in the Longford/Westmeath area have signed up for the service, which costs €52 a year. Allied Waste Management has rolled out the service in Mullingar and it is also being rolled out in Athlone. AES was unavailable for a comment before going to print. At a meeting last June, Athlone Town Councillors were told that the brown bins were being introduced to help increase the county's percentage of all waste being recycled. “We've met with all the waste collection companies in the region and we envisage that brown bins will be provided at no cost to the householder... Community Wardens are to enforce and do spot checks. There is a €75 fine if you don't use the brown bin, but the initial option is to educate people,†said Hugh O'Reilly, Westmeath County Council Environmental Director of Services.