With the reopening now underway and life gradually getting back to normal, more and more people are venturing back into Dublin city centre.
Pubs and restaurants have reopened, arts & culture venues are operating again, and a long-delayed return to the office is only a few weeks away for some people.
There have been some complaints, however, about what has been described as a “fierce smell of urine” on the city streets.
As one member of the public told Newstalk’s Henry McKean: “There’s a strong smell of piss pretty much everywhere - mainly alleyways though.”
Another said: "There are certain areas that are a bit more disgusting than others."
Henry himself said he was "met by a strong smell of urine" during a recent early evening trip to Dublin.
With COVID protocols still in place and an increase in outdoor socialising, many people may opt to pee outside rather than go seeking out an indoor toilet.
Meanwhile, some of the public toilets installed during the summer have now been taken away - although others (including those at Stephen’s Green) do remain.
That has left many people - including taxi drivers, who don't have easy access to toilet facilities - particularly frustrated.
Dublin City Council’s waste management teams, however, have been working 24/7 to keep the city streets as clean as possible.
Does Dublin City Centre smell of fresh urine? How do we change behaviour to stop people going for a pee in the street? I meet Dublin City Council workers keeping the streets washed 24/7 all night long. @TheHardShoulder @NewstalkFM from 4pm pic.twitter.com/b9cf34VHAF
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) September 6, 2021
Shay Brady, the co-ordinating inspector in waste management services, says the pandemic has made things very challenging for the cleaning teams.
He said: “With the closure of pubs, there are a lot of people outdoor dining - that was a particular challenge for us.
“What we like to do in the central commercial district is to get it clean and keep it clean.
"When so many people are out socialising, we couldn’t get into certain areas until later on in the morning.”
Dozens of workers are spread across three teams - a 6am-2pm team, a 2pm-10pm team, and the 10pm-6am night shift.
Shay said: “You’re really handing over a really clean city to the next team, but that was very challenging through COVID.
“When the pubs were closed, we put on outside, temporary toilets in key locations such as Portobello and South William Street.
“All we can do is react to how people are behaving. We have two wash programmes on the night shift, seven nights a week - power-washing, and using a substance that gives it a nice clean smell when it’s finished.”
There’s a cleaning grading system in place - A to C - with teams working to keep the city at ‘A’ quality all the time.
Shay said: “We achieve that, but all we can do is leave it at grade A… when you come back then and you see what it’s like half an hour or hour later, it’s very frustrating.”
You can listen to Henry's full report for The Hard Shoulder below:
