Household Waste

Household Waste for Disposal

What is General household Waste?

General refuse should only consist of waste that cannot be recovered or recycled e.g. material left-over after the householder has reduced, reused, recycled and composted as much as possible.  It is this general household waste that normally ends up in a landfill site or at an incinerator.  Currently, too much material ends up in landfills and many of Ireland’s landfill sites are nearly full.  Household waste can either be collected by a Waste Collector or deposited directly at a licensed facility.

Household Waste collection Services in Sligo 

Waste collection services were privatised in County Sligo in the mid 1990s and in Sligo Town in 2002.  Private companies permitted by the Local Authority provide general refuse collections across County Sligo.  All Collectors operate a pay-by-use service. 

Waste Collectors operating in County Sligo are: 

Sligo’s Pay-by-Volume System

A pay-by-volume system operates in Sligo for household waste meaning you pay for the volume of household waste you produce.  When you leave your household waste out for collection, it must be in a wheelie bin with pre-paid tag/sticker attached. 

Waste Presentation Bye-laws – household waste must now be in a wheelie bin

Waste Presentation bye-laws were introduced to Sligo on 1^st January 2006.  The new bye-laws deal with the presentation of waste for collection by householders.  They bye-laws state that:

All householders must present waste for collection if they are on a collection route.

• All householders must use a wheelie bin for landfill waste.
• Householders must not present waste for collection prior to 6pm on the eve of collection day.

The bye-laws will help the Council regularise the issue of waste collection and means that a greater number of householders can benefit from a properly regulated waste collection service.  The bye-laws will also ensure waste is presented in a proper manner and is segregated to allow for maximum recycling and recovery and the bye-laws will prevent the creation of environmental pollution and litter associated with waste collection.  Wheelie bins come in two sizes i.e. small -120L or standard – 240L.  Wheelie bins can be purchased from garden centres or agricultural supply or from a waste collector.  The waste collector may provide your bin free of charge if you pay for a certain volume of waste – ask them for details.

EPA Licenced Facilities for direct disposal of household waste

Householders can also bypass collections and take general refuse in bags or trailers directly to EPA licenced facilities.  Materials that do not fit into a wheelie bin can also be transported to these sites for disposal – ie. bulky goods, furniture, mattresses etc.  Charges are calculated by weight.  Nearby sites include:

Transfer Station

Greenstar, Deep Water Quay, Sligo County Council  Telephone:  071-9143037

Landfill Site, Ballaghadreen, Co. Roscommon  Telephone:  094-9862767

How can I check that my waste collector is genuine?

All contractors involved in Waste Collection must hold a valid waste collection permit.  If you have doubts about how your waste is handled, ask to see a hardcopy of your collectors permit (they are obliged to carry it on their collection vehicle), contact your Local Authority to establish permit status, or check out www.connaughtwase.ie (to find a collector for any particular waste type, click on ‘permits’ and then click on ‘search collector permits’).  If you want more information on how to dispose or recycle waste, this website will provide the information by giving a full listing of all permitted collectors working in the Connaught Region.  Permits and Licences held by waste collectors must be valid for the type of waste being handled and contractors must be permitted to collect in the specific county from which the waste originated.

Landfills

Waste collected by permitted refuse collection companies is transported to neighbouring landfills including Ballaghadereen Landfill, Co. Roscommon, Rathroeen Landfill, Ballina Co. Mayo and Barna Waste, Carrowbrowne, Headford Road, Galway.  A national landfill levy is charged on every tonne of material entering the landfill. Funds from this levy are invested back into environmental initiatives.