The Anti-Bin Tax Campaign opposed the introduction of bin charges (garbage-collection fees) by local authorities in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The campaign centred largely in city areas, in particular

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. It was locally based with some co-ordination in the Dublin area. Non-payment was the tactic used against the charge. The campaign was supported by a variety of people from community and minor political groupings, such as

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

, Socialist Workers Party, Irish Socialist Network,

Workers Solidarity Movement Anarchism in Ireland has its roots in the stateless organisation of the ''túatha'' in Gaelic Ireland. It first began to emerge from the libertarian socialist tendencies within the Irish republican movement, with anarchist individuals and orga ...

and Working Class Action.

Imprisonment of protesters and result of campaign

In Autumn 2003, after years of mass non-payment the Dublin local authorities began non-collection; leading to protests and blockades of bin trucks. In the High Court Fingal County Council sought an injunction and the imprisonment of Joe Higgins and

Clare Daly Clare Daly (born 16 April 1968) is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European P ...

of the

, and Irish Socialist Network members John O'Neill and Colm Breathnach. These imprisonments escalated the campaign and for a number of weeks refuse collection in the Dublin area was severely disrupted due to protests. In total 22 people were imprisoned. The campaign failed in its objective to reverse the introduction of bin charges. In the years to follow, many councils privatised refuse collection services. The campaign was described by '' The Phoenix Magazine'' as "an abject failure" which "left many thousands of families across Dublin in financial and legal difficulty, it proved a useful campaign and publicity tool for SP candidates in a number of constituencies"

2004 local elections

At the 2004 local elections following the non-collection phase of the campaign Anti-Bin Tax a number of candidates were elected. The Socialist Party gained two seats, one on

Cork City Council Cork City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Prior to the enactment of the 2001 Act, t ...

and one on

South Dublin County Council South Dublin County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Átha Cliath Theas) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act ...

, bringing its total up to four.

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

, running as an Independent, won a seat in the Crumlin-Kimmage

local electoral area A local electoral area (LEA; ga, Toghlimistéir Áitiúil) is an electoral area for elections to local authorities in Ireland. All elections use the single transferable vote. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average p ...

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council was ...

. Cieran Perry of Working Class Action running as an independent narrowly missed election by 93 votes in Cabra, polling 1,753 votes. Dublin city chair of 'Stop the Bin Tax campaign' Joe Mooney ran in the Dublin North Inner City electoral ward unsuccessfully. Joe Mooney was involved in one of the most prominent incidents of the Anti-Bin Tax Campaign when he was hit by a Dublin City Council truck while the campaign tried to blockade a bin truck depot, he was carried down a road by a bin truck, before falling off. He was slightly injured. "Activist Injured by City Council Truck"
, Dublin Campaign Against The Bin Tax Press Statement, 14 October 2003.

References

{{Tax resistance, state=collapsed History of Dublin (city) 2004 Irish local elections Nonviolent resistance movements Political advocacy groups in the Republic of Ireland Politics of Dublin (city) Protests in the Republic of Ireland Bins