Councillors calling for recycling facility to be reinstated after it was removed without notice
The glass recycling facility was in the car park of Dalkey Dart Station and was removed after Irish Rail found it could hinder “pedestrian safety”.
Raising a motion at a recent area committee for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLR), Fianna Fáil councillor Justin Moylan asked how a bottle bank could be a “safety hazard”, and called for an alternative location to be found.
“The bottle bank was removed without notice and it’s caused a fair bit of consternation,” he said. “It was well-used by people in the area.
“Irish Rail highlighted issues around pedestrian safety. The facility was located behind a wall.
“I can’t possibly see how there’s a safety hazard there. I don’t know anyone who has had an injury or any instance of it.”
Mr Seamus Moran, from the council’s management team, said “there is no timeline” and finding an alternative could cost up to €10,000.
“It’s difficult to find an alternative site, there will be a lot of objections from the public and it will mean getting planning permission,” he said.
“The nearest site is Killiney Hill Park, and we’re asking people to check the council website for nearer facilities. There’s a shortage of these facilities in the area and in the county.
“We’ve had lot of complaints coming to the council around this. The alternative we’re looking at is on a public footpath and it has overhead cables. Removing it could cost us up to €10,000.”
Mr Moran also added that the previous location of the bottle bank did not belong to the council.
“The site is owned by Irish Rail, and they instructed us to remove it,” he said.
“In a lot of places, the council is relying on goodwill to have these recycling facilities in privately owned places like car parks. They can ask to remove them at any time.
“This bottle bank was already difficult for us to service, we had to lift the banks over a wall to empty them, so it was not ideal.
“It’s going to be even more difficult to find an alternative where we’re not faced with objections or planning issues.”
Fine Gael councillor JP Durkan expressed concern that people were not notified about the removal of the bottle bank.
“I saw an elderly man arrive at the facility with bottles to recycle and I had no explanation to give as a councillor,” he said.
“I think it’s disingenuous that we were not notified and, even worse, the public was not notified.”
Councillors also called for more clarity on the risk assessment that led to the removal of the facility.
“We need to know what this health and safety issue is and find people a suitable alternative,” said Labour councillor Thomas Joseph.
“The nearest one is nowhere near Dalkey – people would need to get a car to recycle their glass or they will start putting their glass in black bins.”
Councillors passed the motion and agreed to seek the help of a state agency to find an alternative closer to the removed bottle bank.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme