New super strong "anti-seagull" bin bags are to be rolled out in Dublin city in the coming weeks.
The idea will see residents and businesses put their rubbish into the reusable sacks, as the birds' beaks and other animals won't be able to rip apart according to Independent.ie. The durable sacks are impenetrable to the beaks of the seagulls, and other wild animals like foxes won't be able to rip apart bin bags to get at food.
Private collection crews will empty the bags into trucks, before returning the tough sacks to households and businesses. The new initiative comes after the recent success of the Bagbin pilot in the capital, where collapsible containers were used over a six-month period to protect waste from ending up strewn across the street.
Read more: How to keep seagulls away after 'extreme aggression' warning issued
Forty businesses took part in the trial at spots on Drury Street, on South Anne Street and on Capel Street, says the council write-up of the trial, which was coordinated by Dublin City Council Beta. Three BagBins were trialled for 46 residents at three locations, on Reginald Street, Gray Street and Meath Square in the Liberties.
While feedback was fairly mixed, of the 21 households who returned the after-trial survey, 13 said they preferred the BagBins to the existing set up The report also noted that some residents objected to the shared storage hub and bins being placed outside of their homes.
The shape of the storage hubs and bins would also possibly need to be adapted for streets with narrower footpaths, the report says, or the hubs put on the road. The new bag bins comes on the heel of calls made by Finglas-Ballymun councillor Keith Connolly has called on Dublin City Council to look at the possibility of culling the animals.
While seagulls are a protected species under EU laws, exceptions can be made in certain circumstances.
Read more: 'We must do better' to stop food waste being torn apart by seagulls, says Lord Mayor
Cllr Connolly said that the noise that the birds make is a serious disturbance in itself. He said: "There is a serious issue with Seagulls in the city, there has been a steady increase in the population and the noise pollution alone warrants a cull.
"I have dealt with situations where nesting has forced people to temporarily move out of their homes. The bacteria from their faeces are a lot more dangerous than dog excrement and we have also had situations where sea and herring gulls are robbing food directly from people’s hands.
"I have written to the CEO of Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan, to ask if the possibility of a cull in some areas could be examined in conjunction with the Department of Heritage. I would also urge people not to feed seagulls as this escalates the problem."
The introduction of anti-seagull bags, which has been supported by the Dept of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, will be trialled by waste collectors in October. If successful it’s hoped Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy and Deputy Lord Mayor Darcy Lonergan will officially launch the initiative some time in November.
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