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[Press Release: September 7th, 2005] Greenstar must continue to improve waste services for customers says de BurcaGreen Party councillor Deirdre de Burca has called on Greenstar to continue to improve the waste services it provides to the people of Bray. De Burca was responding to recent correspondence sent by Greenstar to Bray Town Council outlining the improvements the company has made to its service over the past year following serious public criticism directed at it."The letter that the council received from Greenstar outlined some of the changes the company has made over the past year following complaints from the public and from public representatives on the council" says de Burca. "Greenstar informs us that it will be holding a Public Information Meeting in the first week of October to allow for proper communication with the community. The company also says that it has set up a dedicated customer care phone line if customers have a query in relation to service or any other issue relating to recycling. It mentions the dry Mixed Recyclables collection service that it has rolled out to all wheelie bin customers over the past year and the availability of recycling bags in local shops for Greenstar customers". Cllr de Burca claims that these service improvements were long overdue and that the company had been "taking its customers for granted". She claims this was inevitable as the company has a virtual monopoly on waste collection services in the county. "There was little incentive for Greenstar to treat its customers well as it effectively has no competition" says de Burca. "I believe therefore that the very negative publicity that the company got from councillors like myself and my colleagues has actually caused it to introduce some badly-needed improvements". The Green Party councillor says that the service Greenstar provides is still far from perfect. "For example, I have received many complaints over the summer months about the fact that on the week that it collects the dry recyclables, Greenstar refuses to collect ordinary waste and householders must hold on to it for a two-week period" she says. "This is very problematic for large households who may have a lot of food waste and even nappies in their weekly waste. It is especially difficult during warm summer months for householders to store such waste for two weeks until the company collects it. This is a real case of the company suiting itself and cutting its collection costs, but at the expense of the householder. I am calling on Greenstar to change this practice and to collect the ordinary waste every week, including the week that the recyclables are being collected". De Burca says that the other big issue that must be addressed by Greenstar is the issue of the almost 600% rise in waste collection charges since the service was privatised in 2001. "The company introduces its own price increases every year without reference to any regulator or overseeing agency" says de Burca. "It must inform the council of its proposed increases but the council cannot control or influence the prices it is charging. This gives the company a licence to charge what it like and again this is not in the interests of its customers. At a national level the Green Party is calling for the appointment of a Waste Regulator who will regulate the waste sector and ensure that uncompetitive practices by large waste companies are stamped out".
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