CORK County Council has promised that the transfer of its waste collection service into private hands "would not give rise to any disruption" to existing customers. The pledge came after the local authority this week confirmed that Castletownroche-based Country Clean Recycling Ltd had purchased the loss-making service for a fee believed to be in the region of €6.7 million. Financial director of County Clean, Denis Murphy, said the acquisition of the service will create up to 30 local jobs providing a "huge boost" to the local economy.

He also promised that the waiver system currently operated by the council would be extended to 24-months on the basis of customer loyalty.

"We will also be implementing an immediate reduction of ten per cent in waste charges to all non-waiver customers. Furthermore we will be rolling out additional new services to council customers," he added.

Speaking to The Corkman after news of the sale was made public, deputy county manager Declan Daly said that the council will write to its customers over the coming weeks to fully explain how the transfer process will take place.

"We will work with Country Clean to help facilitate an orderly transfer of the waste collection business so that the changeover process is as smooth as possible for our customers," said Mr Daly.

He also moved quickly to dispel fears over existing jobs within the service, confirming that the council intended to deploy staff to "improve service delivery" in other operational areas.

While Mr Daly did not say where the staff would be deployed, it is hoped that the sale will pave the way for staff to be reallocated to the running of the civic amenity sites in Kanturk, which has yet to open, and Millstreet.

Mallow-based county councillor Noel O'Connor said he was pleased to see that the company had also committed itself to maintaining the rural collection routes previously serviced by the council.

"Overall I think that the council have negotiated a good deal considering the considerable financial difficulties facing the service. It would be my hope that the waiver can be subsidised in some fashion once the initial two-year period has expired," said Cllr O'Connor.

"It is important to note that it is estimated that the sale will result in an overall saving of up to €10 million to the council over the coming 12months. This money must be spent on maintaining the council's monitoring system and opening civic amenity sites across the county," he added.

However, Fermoy-based Cllr Noel McCarthy was sceptical regarding the future of the service.

"Private operators will promise everything, but at he end of the day they will do what they want. It is my belief that rural areas will be hit hard by this move after all a private operator is in it to make money, not subsidise loss making routes," said Cllr McCarthy. "There is also a genuine fear that the waiver system could be stopped after two years. My fear is that the sale of the service takes it completely out of our hands and therefore out of our control," he concluded.

- BILL BROWNE