Dublin city’s public bins were overflowing by midmorning on Wednesday and by the early afternoon many streets in the centre looked like the St Patrick’s Day parade had just passed through.
Burst refuse bags disgorged their contents on to footpaths and broken glass glinted along the length of cycle lanes.
Dublin City Council’s desperate 11th-hour plea on Tuesday evening to residents and visitors asking that, for just one day, they clean up after themselves and not discard their waste on the streets, appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.
“Staff will not be available to empty litter bins or to clean streets,” the council statement said. “We ask the public to help keep the city clean during the strike by taking litter home where possible and not leaving waste beside bins that are full.”
On Thursday morning Alex Kelleher was sweeping the path on South Great George’s Street outside Dublin Ink Tattoo, where he works, as well as the adjacent restaurants and takeaways, some of which had yet to open for business.
“Someone’s got to do it, and if we don’t do it, no one will,” he said as he lifted the empty takeaway boxes, restaurant kitchen waste and household waste spread across the width of the path.
“For a tattoo studio, cleanliness is the upmost important thing. Being sanitary is very important. Having litter anywhere near the studio is not acceptable for our clients.”
As he lifted another catering tub of sauce, he said he supported the striking council workers. “I have no problem doing this today, I think we should all treat our surrounding areas with a small bit of respect and love, and maybe think of the people who are doing this every day. It’s tough work and they deserve to get compensated for that.”
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Audrey Lambert, a Dublin City Council staff officer and Fórsa branch secretary, was picketing outside the Civic Offices on Wood Quay, standing beside a bin, stuffed to capacity by 10am.
“We provide such a vital services for the public. We keep the city going and we deserve to have a pay rise going with inflation rates.”
The bin, she said, illustrated the often unnoticed work council staff do in the city.
“It’s just one bin, but it’s the perfect example of the impact when council services stop. It shows the amount of work we are doing, not only to the public, but to the Government, because if you listen to them, we’re not doing much for the pay rise, but if you look around you, the city is not clean today.”
The gates of the Grangegorman Bring Centre in Dublin 7 were locked on Wednesday. Bags of rubbish and stacks of cardboard were left outside, or squeezed through the railings, next to the sign warning of consequences for illegal dumping.
A man pulled up in his car and hauled out a bulky bag of recycling material. He slowly read a sign on the gate that said: “Official Dispute” and another “Fair Play Decent Work Stronger Services”. “I didn’t know this was part of the public services,” he said. He hesitated, then said “fair enough” and put the bag back in his car before driving away.