Tagging wheelie bins.

Dublin city council is taking tough measures against householders who have not paid their dustbin dues. As part of the waste management plan 2005-2010 every wheelie bin must be registered to ensure collection. An annual domestic waste charge, plus a separate charge for each collection must be paid according to bin size. In 2006 collection of a standard bin costs 84 annually, plus 5.25 per collection. Non-payment means that bins will not be lifted, fines will be imposed and court action will eventually be taken to collect money due. With the new policy the council aims to encourage reuse, recycling and reduction of waste. As of mid January, those who have not paid their waste charges were having their bins tagged with an orange label and were asked to contact the council to settle their account. However in the first few days of the scheme a faulty electronic chip in the computerised waste collection service meant that several bins had been mistakenly tagged. The council estimates that the new get-tough policy will affect about 14,000 Dublin householders over the next few weeks. Fines are from 125 to 3,000.