DUBLIN RESIDENTS who owe arrears for bin charges to Dublin City Council will have bills issued to them in the coming days after procedures for collecting them were agreed with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The council sold its bin collection business to the private firm Greyhound in December. There was controversy over the transfer, with many customers left without a bin collection service in the early stages of the changeover.
Concerns were also raised about the manner in which the details of 140,000 customers of the council were transferred to a private firm without prior warning. Greyhound was given responsibility for collecting arrears owed for bin charges, raising concerns about the protection of personal data of customers who previously had no relationship with the waste firm.
Fianna Fáil councillor Paul McAuliffe noted “intensive discussions” had taken place between the council and the Data Protection Commissioner.
Agreement had now been reached on the requirements necessary to allow the issuing of bills for the final quarter of 2011 and the collection of arrears owed, he said. Bills for the last quarter of the year will be issued in the coming days, Mr McAuliffe said.
No direct debit details already handled by the council will be passed to Greyhound. The council will be responsible for pursuing through the courts arrears owed.