College made over €107k from rent paid by Circuit Laundry between 2020 and 2023, data released under Freedom of Information (FOI) has revealed.
At first refused, the FOI request made by TCD Renters’ Solidarity Network was appealed to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC), with negotiations resulting in the release of the data.
Circuit Laundry, a private company, is the laundry services provider for on-campus and Trinity Hall accommodation, where it charges €6.50 for a standard wash-and-dry cycle, or up to €7.50 stronger washes.
Around 1,800 students live in Trinity-owned accommodation, paying anywhere from €5,931 to €10,830 for an academic term. Circuit Laundry, the dominant laundry service provider within student accommodation, made a profit of £3.6m (€4.26m), with a revenue of £40m (€47.36m), in 2022 alone.
In a statement, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) criticised College for profiting from students accessing laundry services, saying “students are not just another income stream for the university”.
“Every cost passed down to students is a strike against equal access to education. Of course, the €260m deficit [in state funding for higher education] is ultimately to blame, but we as a union equally and obviously see it as inexcusable to pass that onto students.”
A spokesperson for Trinity College Dublin said: “The Circuit Laundry is a binding legal contract which will expire in 2030 as planned. The money received by the College from Circuit Laundry is used to pay for operating costs of the service.”
TCD Renters’ Solidarity Network expressed its dismay that “in the face of government austerity and defunding of third-level education, [College] continues to privatise our educational experience and shift the financial burden onto students”.
“Until college stops looking at students as an endless source of revenue, and starts treating us as an equal member of the campus community, the student experience will continue to be separated between those who can pay and those who cannot.”
In 2024, the TCD Renters’ Solidarity Network, a collective of tenants in Trinity-owned accommodation with over 120 members, called on College to cancel the contract that is due to last until 2030 and provide free laundry services.
