New ‘weighty’ bin charges set to increase bills

By Echo Reporter

THE pay-by-weight bin charges, which are due to come into effect on July 1, may lead to a 43 per cent increase in bills for larger families and families with special needs , according to Sinn Féin Councillor Mark Ward.

Calculating how much each household will pay at this stage is unclear, but minimum charges set by the Department of Environment work out at black/grey bin: 11 cent per kg, and brown bin: six cent per kg.

Whilst the minimum charges for the green recycling bin may have been scrapped, Cllr Ward says this has “left the door open for companies to charge as much as they want.”

Cllr Ward said: “The bottom line is that collection companies will still be free to charge for collection of recyclable waste. I have had Greyhound customers coming to me regarding the new pricing structures.

“These customers are environmentally friendly and use their bins correctly. Based on their use in April, the same waste disposal in July will mean over a 43 per cent increase – rising from €17 per month to €30.01 per month.

“An introduction of a new service charge of €3.25 per week is built into these costs.

“There is already a large volume of illegal dumping throughout the country and also an increase on people burning their rubbish. This will only increase as people will struggle to pay this tax.

“This is another stealth tax that could push people struggling through austerity over the edge.

“We need a guarantee that waste management companies do not use the flexibility the Minister has granted to profit from environmentally conscious citizens who recycle their waste.”