In a bid to clean up Dublin, waste compactors have been installed Marlborough Place and Loftus Lane as bin bags on the side of the road become a thing of the past from Church Street to Gardiner Street, and Dorset Street to the quays
16:07, 08 May 2026Updated 16:15, 08 May 2026
Derek Kelly, Executive Manager, Climate & Urban Resilience, Dublin City Council, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam, and Barry Woods, Head of Waste Management, Dublin City Council at the new waste compactors on Marlborough Place(Image: Fennell Photography)
A further 110 city streets are going bin bag-free as waste compactors have been installed in Dublin ’s north inner city.
Compactors at Marlborough Place and Loftus Lane are the latest installations as part of a clean-up campaign that has already reduced illegal dumping by approximately 20 tonnes per month. This comes following previous compactors at Fownes Street Upper and St Stephen’s Green on the southside, which have already removed around 1,000 plastic bags from the streets each day.
The new compactors will be available to everyone who is based on the streets covered from May 11. This area stretches roughly from Church Street to Gardiner Street, and Dorset Street to the quays, with affected businesses and residents encouraged to contact their waste collector to discuss the new options for collection.
Each compactor holds up to four and half tonnes, which are then crushed to up to a quarter of their size. With sections for general waste and dry recyclables, the compactors, owned and managed by operators Panda and KeyGreen, are just one aspect of a citywide plan to clean up Dublin.
“With 3,500 city bins and these new compactors, the message is clear: there is no excuse for littering in Dublin. We all have a part to play — residents, businesses, waste operators, and the City Council — in keeping our capital city clean. This is about civic pride, shared responsibility, and celebrating Dublin by caring for Dublin,” Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam at the new waste compactors on Marlborough Place(Image: Fennell Photography)
Executive Manager for Climate & Urban Resilience Derek Kelly explained that customers availing of the new waste compactors will either have the ability to store their rubbish in wheelie bins with a door-to-door collection service via cargo bike, or utilise a fob system to scan and open the compactor themselves to be billed accordingly.
He said that Dublin City Council is spearheading this system, but it’s likely other local authorities will follow suit, with Cork city, Limerick, and Galway already looking at it as a viable option. “I think you will see transformational change in the city, but we need locals and businesses to work with us on this. It’s about behavioural change. It isn’t appropriate to throw your waste out on the footpath and expect it to be gone in the morning,” he said.
The plans don’t end there, as a phased approach is being taken across around 900 designated bagged streets citywide. This is to allow waste operators enough time to adapt to the new services and allow residents and businesses space to make arrangements.
The overall 3 Pillar Waste Management Strategy has seen Dublin City Council recruit 100 extra waste management staff, invest in new vehicles to tackle litter, and expand its 24-hour cleaning zones. There has also been increased street-washing capability through a dedicated night-time clean.
This citywide response to a cleaner Dublin has also seen the appointment of six new litter wardens, as well as a night patrol service. The upcoming Phase 3 plan will introduce a Litter Prevention and Awareness Campaign to further promote its aims.
This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
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