More information on Bin Service Changeover

I received further information from Dublin City Council this morning in relation to collection days and the changeover of service to Greyhound.

I have written again to the City Manager to express my concerns about the manner in which the changeover has taken place, the poor way information has been presented to residents, and the lack of an option to pay the €100 charge in instalments over the course of the year.

All existing customers should have now received their letter from Greyhound explaining the changeover, they would have also received a new collection & a payment card. Please let me know if this is not the case in your area.


Residents who had no collection with DCC will have to contact greyhound directly on 1890 98 99 98 to set up an account (these residents will not receive a letter).


Customers have 30 days to pay the €100 services charge (this can be paid in instalments over next 30 days).


Customers must also put credit on payment card covering cost of collections required.


Existing Customers will receive  collections during the 30 days however the cost of same we be deducted once credit is put on the card.


Only Customers who pay the €100 services charge & put credit on the payment card will receive a collection after the 30 days has expired.


*** Bin collection days have changed (Calendar attached with your information pack) ***


In the North West Area our collection day is now WEDNESDAYS


This Wednesday 18th Jan  all black & brown will be collected


Next Wednesday 25th Jan all green bins will be collected


Customers who had an arrears agreement in place with DCC should continue to pay same.


Existing DCC customers will be sent a final bill (collection from Oct 2011 to 13th Jan 2012) it will be issued by Greyhound as they will be collecting monies & arrears  on behalf of DCC. 


Please give me a call or send me an email if you have any questions, concerns or enquiries about this information and I will do all I can to help. 

Speaking on completing the Ballymun Regeneration Project

This week in the Dáil I raised the issue of completing in full the social and physical regeneration of Ballymun with Jan O'Sullivan, the newly- appointed Minister with responsibility for housing.

I also extended an invitation to the Minister to see the progress that is being made in the area.


Watch the video of my contribution in full here:

Residents Left in the Dark on Bin Service Changeover

The handling of the transfer of Dublin City Council bin services to Greyhound Recycling has ‘left many residents in the dark’ and I am now calling for changes to payment options available.

I can appreciate the logistical effort involved the transfer of this service but the lack of timely information for residents has not been acceptable. Most of the details were only made available by the City Council this week and I have been informed today that many residents will not receive their information packs until Tuesday, after the transfer of service has taken place.

This is a particular concern for elderly residents who may have been unaware of any changes until they check their post today or early next week.

Given that many residents will have to register an account with Greyhound, this information should have been made available to each household well before the handover of service.

Also, an issue I have serious concerns over is the upfront payment of a €100 service charge for a large bin or €80 for a small bin, within 30 days of Monday January 16th.

People with waivers will not have to pay this charge but people who are used to having the option to pay their service charge in instalments will find this a lot to pay in one go, especially given the time of year.

I have raised this point with the City Council and with Greyhound and I am calling again for a half year or quarterly payment option to be put in place.

I already wrote a blogpost with further information on the changeover. Please get in touch with me if I can clarify any further points or answer any questions.

Speaking on DEIS schools in the Dáil

Last night I spoke about DEIS schools in the Dáil. I've been meeting with local teachers, principals, boards and parents since before Christmas and I passed on their concerns directly to the Minister.


I will be working with the Minister and all schools as the review is carried in the coming weeks and I hope to see this matter resolved for the benefit of all students in DEIS schools.

Changes to Bin Service - Latest Information

I have been in contact with Dublin City Council and Greyhound since the new year to clarify some of the details of the changeover of the household bin collection service.

As you may know, Greyhound will be taking over the collection of bins in the area (and for much of the city) from next Monday 16th January.

All households in the area should have received an information pack from Greyhound and the Council or will receive one by the end of this week. This information pack includes information on how to register with Greyhound and switch over your service without delay.

Much of this information is now available online here.

If you have any questions in regard to the changeover you can contact Greyhound's call centre from Monday at 1890 98 99 98 or email them on dublincity@greyhound.ie

Please contact me on 01 618 3280 or john.lyons@oir.ie if you have any further questions or if I can clarify any points with the Council or Greyhound.

Household Charge Exemptions

I have talked about the household charge here before and detailed a list of exemptions to the charge.

Exemptions currently include:

Residents who are receiving mortgage interest supplement, living in social housing (e.g. renting from Dublin City Council or Fingal County Council) and those living in certain unfinished housing estates - nor will commercial property and premises owned by a charity have to pay this charge.

The list of unfinished housing estates exempt from the household charge in Dublin 9 and Dublin 11 has now been made available online.

In the Fingal County Council area Creston Park, Mayeston Hall, Heathfield Cappagh & Charlestown, St Margarest’s Road are now listed as exempt from paying the charge.


In the Dublin City Council area,, Hampton wood (03/4387) is listed. 03/4387 was the planning reference for the extension of the duration of the planning permission for the estate. Milners Square (Plan Ref 04/6058) on Shanowen Road, Santry has also been listed as exempt from the charge.


I wrote to DCC & Fingal County Council last week to clarify which areas of Hampton Wood and Charlestown are exempt in particular and I will keep residents informed of this information. 

As I have said, the household charge is an interim payment that will be replaced by a more progressive property tax in the near future. 

For further details (and the full list of exempt unfinished housing estates) you can visit www.householdcharge.ie, read my previous blogpost with FAQs or contact me directly at john.lyons@oir.ie or on 618 3280.

Show Racism the Red Card Creative Competition

75 schools and youth services are now registered for the Show Racism the Red Card Creative Competition. The deadline is the last Friday in February (24th) and the competition concludes with an awards prize giving presentation at the AVIVA stadium in April.

Participant groups will receive the Show Racism the Red Card DVD education pack for free upon registration.

You can register at www.theredcard.ie/competition.php 

If you are not a teacher or youth worker but would like to help Show Racism the Red Card, contact info@theredcard.ie

Programme of activities-
-Anti Racism Creative Competition
- Education workshops and training
- Jeff the Ref sports and events anti racism mascot
- Racism report card www.theredcard.ie/report.php 
- Intercultural Summer Camps in Donegal