Assistant Dublin city manager Matt Twomey has said he plans to prevent the private firms from operating freely.

A clause added to the council’s waste management plan this year calls for all household waste collection to be carried out by the local authority or a private firm selected through public tendering (see related story).

Mr Twomey spoke to defend the move ahead of two impending court cases being brought by waste firms Greenstar and Panda.

“Collecting and disposing of household waste in Dublin is a vital public service,” he told the Irish Times.

“It should be controlled by the Dublin local authorities whose focus is on achieving the Dublin Waste Plan‘s aim of 59% recycling and not on making huge profits.”

Earlier this month Owen Keegan, county manager of Dun Laoghaire, revealed that the defection of 50% of customers to waste management firm Panda would see the council’s service lose Euro 10m this year.

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