Waste firms warned of fee caps if bin charges rise sharply

Waste management companies have been warned that the Government will not tolerate significant increases in bin collection charges.

At a meeting in Athlone on Friday evening Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney told private waste operators he will introduce new regulations to cap fees if they proceed with plans for large increases in standing changes.

Mr Coveney wants to ensure any new schemes being brought in do not result in an increase in charges any greater than the cost of living index.

The Minister will not make a final decision about what action he will take until next week. He will also have to consult the Attorney General about any changes to the regulations designed to keep the cost to the householder down.

A new pricing system is due to come into operation at the beginning of July but the Government has been taken aback at widespread reports that it will involve substantial increases in standing charges as well as ‘pay-by-weight’ charges for black and brown bins.

All of the Opposition parties raised the issue in the Dáil during the week and Sinn Féin plans to table a motion in the Seanad next week to annul the new regulations, unless the Government acts.

Sharply criticised

Fianna Fáil and the Social Democrats have also sharply criticised the increases, while former Labour minister for the environment Alan Kelly, who oversaw the change in the system, has called for new regulations to restrict standing charge increases.

Mr Coveney has said he was committed to a pay-by-weight approach, which he said would reduce bills for those who manage their waste.

However, he has expressed a determination not to allow the controversy over bin charges develop into the kind of disruptive protests that derailed the plan to implement a national charging system for water.

Meanwhile, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has launched an investigation into the domestic waste sector.

The commission said it was “examining a number of consumer issues in the waste sector” and said it had also made contact with the Department of the Environment to ensure consumer rights were to the fore in discussions with waste management companies.

“Given the number of operators in the sector and the wide variety of distinct charging structures and contractual arrangements, examination of the issues is a complex undertaking,” the spokesman said.

Mooted increases

Consumers have expressed concern not only about mooted price increases being imposed by waste companies from next month but also about the lack of information available about their rights in the face of significant changes to annual contracts.

A spokesman for Greyhound Waste claimed there had been “considerable misinformation in the media and elsewhere, specifically around the percentage increases in waste service charges”.

He said the average overall price for waste collection in Dublin was between €250 and €300 per year and €350 outside the capital.

“Under the new system, the majority of people who embrace recycling will pay less than this. The small minority of people who don’t segregate their waste will pay more. The legislation is aimed at incentivising people to recycle.”