Council to charge for recycling

PEOPLE in Kerry will soon have to pay for recycling, a service that has been free up to now, its county council confirmed yesterday.

From March, all recyc-lables, with the exception of glass, will have to be placed in a specified plastic bag, which will be purchased at a cost of €5 for four bags.

Currently, 89% of household waste in Kerry is going to landfill, regarded as an exceptionally high volume, and the aim is to get people to recycle and compost more.

“We believe that between 30-50% of waste can be recycled and a further 15-20% composted. If householders manage their waste properly, the minimum need only go to landfill,” said Micheál Ó Coileáin, the council’s environmental awareness officer.

“We’re trying to make it easier for people to recycle, as practically all the recyclables can be put into the same bag.”

There is no charge for recycling cans, newspapers, cardboard and other goods brought to the council’s collection points. But people will now have to put all such recyclables into one bag, which will then be collected and taken to a transfer station.