GREYHOUND Recycling has told its employees that it is "at war" with a rival firm, claiming that its entry into the Dublin City market has put "all our jobs at risk".

In an extraordinary memo to staff members, Greyhound describes waste firm The City Bin Co as a "very serious threat".

It is now almost a year since Greyhound took control of the capital's waste service after it was sold by Dublin City Council for an undisclosed fee.

The firm's takeover was plagued by a series of problems with whole streets experiencing a build-up of rubbish for days on end. In the internal memo -- which the Herald has seen -- details of how Greyhound expects to triumph over its new rival are laid bare.

The four-page document demands that Greyhound workers become more efficient in a bid to win back the rival firm's new customer base.

"We will win this war by (1) Providing a better service than City Bin (2) Taking their customers [and] (3) Providing excellent customer service," the document states. The first page of the memo shows an illustration of a man's head being stomped on by a boot under the headline 'Operation "Crush The Reds"'.

"City Bin Co have launched a full attack on Greyhound looking to take 5,000 customers initially," says the memo. "Their bigger aim is to get 60,000 customers from Greyhound. They have launched a major media campaign on buses, radio and outdoor adverts.

"This move puts all our jobs at risk. We are dealing with this ... very serious threat and are at war with them in many different areas." Greyhound's profile has been less than pristine since its launch but it has attempted to woo customers in recent months.

However, city councillors were infuriated last week when the Herald revealed that Greyhound had decided to charge €9 for a roll of six recycling bags.

A spokesman for Greyhound defended the memo, which even compares its workers' placing of bins to its rival's methods.

"The memo was a reminder to our bin crews to keep on top of their game and not to be complacent in maintaining the high level of service that Greyhound provides to its customers," the spokesman said.

The City Bin Company declined to comment.

noconnor@herald.ie