Council refuse service losing hundreds of customers

By Dara Bradley and Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

Hundreds of city householders have ‘jumped ship’ from the local authority refuse collection to join new private companies.

The local authority has been urged to meet the threat of competition from bin operators from the private sector ‘head-on’, as it was confirmed last night that 125 households a month are deserting Galway City Council’s bin service.

It has been confirmed that 500 City Council bin customers have ‘jumped ship’ and moved to cheaper private sector operators, since Dublin-based Greyhound joined City Bin in offering refuse collection to householders in the city.

The loss of about 500 customers in the four months between January and the end of April represents 4.5% of the total number of households that the Council provides a bin collection service for.

A stark warning was issued that if the ‘attrition rate’ or loss of 125 Council bin customers per month continues then the local authority will have to exit the residential bin collection service altogether.

At a special meeting of the Council, deputy city manager Ciarán Hayes, confirmed that the City Council had lost 500 residential bin customers since Greyhound entered the market in Galway in January. That many deserted the Council’s service despite the introduction of a new cheaper rate – there is a new pay by weight rate whereby households pay no more than €229 per annum. The Council still provides a service to 12,000 households but fears were expressed that it’s dominance is being eroded by cheaper operators.

He confirmed the figure following a query from City Councillor Ollie Crowe (FF), who said it is worrying that on average four customers were lost every day for the past four months.

His brother, Mike Crowe, said if people continue to leave then Galway City Council will, in a couple of years’ time, be forced to cease offering a residential collection service. “If that happens the private operators will charge more and it will be worse for the customers in the long-run,” he said.

Cllr Crowe said the Council was contributing to the trend because it was offering a service that was “an absolute disgrace”. He didn’t elaborate but said “we’ve got to get our act together” in relation to the refuse service offered by the city.

Mr Hayes acknowledged there was ‘some difficulties’ and these related to staff on sick leave but that it would be rectified.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.