HOUSEHOLDERS CAN expect to pay about €50 less in annual waste charges, but those on waivers may no longer be immune from charges, under new policies recommended in a major waste management report.
Landfill levies will more than triple over the next three years, incineration levies will be introduced, and new charges will be placed on producers of waste including junk mail, if policies recommended in the International Review of Waste Management Policy are introduced.
However RPS, which represented Dublin City Council in the development of the Poolbeg incinerator, said the change in policy would cost the taxpayer €2 billion.
The review, flagged in the programme for government following the 2007 general election, was commissioned by Minister for the Environment John Gormley 18 months ago. Speaking at the launch of the report yesterday, Mr Gormley said its recommendations would result in a “cap” on incineration. While he stopped short of saying the new policies would prevent the Poolbeg facility going ahead, he said they would make it difficult to operate.
The city council entered into a “put-or-pay” contract to provide the developers of the Poolbeg incinerator, Covanta/Dong, with 320,000 tonnes of waste annually or pay a penalty. A recommendation that no
contracts should be entered into where a local authority agrees to supply quantities of waste not under its control could cause problems for the council as the report states local authorities who have already entered into such a contract “would be required to change their plans”. The report also said local authorities should not be allowed to direct that waste is only brought to a particular facility.
The council’s position it should be allowed to collect all household waste or designate a specific contractor to collect waste in the city is supported by the report.
The report goes further still, recommending waste collection is “made the responsibility of local authorities”, a major change for many local authorities outside the Dublin region which withdrew from the waste collection market some years ago. Local authorities would face fines of €50 per tonne of household waste over specific limits which it allows to go to landfill. Mr Gormley said he intends to increase landfill levies, currently at €20 per tonne, to €75 by 2012 – €10 less than recommended by the report. New incinerator levies will be set at €20-€38 per tonne.
However, Mr Gormley said this will not lead to an increase in household waste charges, in fact rationalisation of waste services should result in a decrease of €50 to householders. The waiver system for poorer households is also facing change, he said. To encourage these households to recycle, waivers will only apply to a set amount of waste.
RPS director PJ Rudden said changing what was already a progressive waste management policy would cost €2 billion. “Waste management policy isn’t broken so why should we be fixing it?”
The Confederation of European Waste to Energy Plants said householders will face 30 per cent increases in bin charges. The report was “Alice in Wonderland stuff” out-of-sync with international best practice it said.
