The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, has confirmed that a levy of not more than €4 or €5 per week will be introduced on refuse collections in every household before 2006.
Minister Cullen described the introduction as an "incentive for waste management" and dismissed claims that it was another form of taxation.
"The real reason for doing this is to get people to recycle more," he said.
It would also help us keep up with other EU countries like the Netherlands and Germany where 50 per cent of refuse was recycled.
"Once we get all recycling plans in place, then the fee will be introduced," he said. "But that will not be for a couple of years." The fee would be introduced to help alleviate the growing waste problem in Ireland. It would be administered by local authorities, which could result in some slight deviation in prices across the State, the Minister added.
The Department of Environment has now received all regional waste management strategies. Mr Cullen said he would consider the applications in the autumn.
"This is not a tax-gathering effort," he added. "People need to become more responsible for waste management" in order to reduce it.
Fine Gael spokesman for the environment Mr Bernard Allen said this was a new form of taxation and another money-raising effort by the Government.
Ireland had a "very primitive waste management policy", he said.
Decisions should be made regarding waste management "before imposing a further tax on the Irish people", he stated.