Fianna Fáil TD, John Curran says the Government must provide urgent clarification surrounding the costs of the new pay by weight system for disposal of waste.
Speaking in the Dáil last evening Deputy Curran said, “In January last year former Minister for Environment Alan Kelly announced that he was introducing a new pay-by-weight system for bin charges. At the time he was very specific and insisted that the new regime would result in 87% of households experiencing a reduction in their waste bills. That is not happening and that is the crux of the problem.
“In recent days we have heard extensive media coverage on this issue. In one example, a person in my constituency who paid €360 for waste disposal services last year, and has been on a pay-by-eight scheme for a number of years, are now facing a bill of up to €469 for the year ahead. That is a 30% increase for no change in service.
“There is a growing sense of fear and frustration amongst families in relation to these charges. Therefore, I am calling on Minister Coveney to suspend the new charges regime until we get clarification as to why families are experiencing a massive increase in their bills when it was previously stated that the opposite would occur. The waste disposal companies have not effectively outlined the justification behind the significant increase in charges.
“The only reasonable solution is for Minister Coveney to negotiate with the providers to ensure that there is full transparency, fair competition and that the structure meets the guidelines, which they do not at the moment. These companies must clearly outline where their customers money is going.
“Strong consideration should be given to the viability of a period of transition to the new regime in order to ensure that households are fully informed and can plan financially around their expected bin charges.” concluded Deputy Curran.
