SIPTU has said that the review of the waste industry by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission confirms that the only long-term solution for the industry is the return of services to local authority control. SIPTU Public Administration and Community Division Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “The chair of the Commission recognises that the waste industry in Ireland exhibits the characteristics of ‘a natural monopoly’. However, the Commission fails to follow the logic of its own findings, which that is that the only organisation that can be trusted to operate ‘a natural monopoly’ is the State.“Market fundamentalism is not the answer to our waste problems. Ireland is falling behind the increasing trend of the re-municipalisation of waste services. From Germany to Norway, even in the UK, more and more waste services are being returned to the control of local authorities. This is because privatisation has proven to be bad for citizens, the environment and for workers in the industry.“The nonsense of multiple private waste operators blocking up the streets of our towns and cities has to stop. The State has committed significant resources into regulation of the waste industry, which has not worked. A report calling for more regulation is doomed to fail. The only way to ensure we ‘de-commodify’ waste is to go back to the situation when local authorities provided an efficient, professional and environmentally safe service.”He added: “The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, must convene a forum of all the stake holders in the waste industry. This includes local authorities, citizens, private waste providers, trade unions and environmental groups. The trend to re-municipalisation is undeniable across Europe with more and more countries are moving in that direction because privatisation has failed citizens, the environment and workers.”
Waste industry review confirms need to return services to local authority control
