Households hit by fresh waste charges

HOUSEHOLDERS in Waterford city will have to shell out €150 over the coming weeks to help meet refuse costs in the region.

Waterford County Council’s introduction of the flat fee of €150 per household for waste collection follows the closure of the last landfill at Tramore last Friday.

With Dungarvan and Tramore landfills closed, the city council faces a significant loss of income from commercial users, the authority said. And waste from Waterford is now being brought to Carlow at an estimated cost of around €700,000 per annum.

The authority is also facing a €10 million bill for remediation of its two closed landfills, according to the director of services Dennis McCarthy.

“To preserve and continue our present waste services at the current level and to maintain the employment of the associated workforce, there is no option but to increase the charge to householders,” said Mr McCarthy.

“There is no doubt that the charge is significant but it is absolutely necessary to maintain an efficient waste service at its current level and, by so doing, continue to provide employment and contribute to the economy of the county.”

The new charges will come into effect immediately. Council employees will deliver an invoice and information pack to each household on its waste collection routes.

The flat charge of €150 will have to be paid by the end of February.

Waterford County Council has already admitted its charges to its 19,000 customers could almost double from next year, bringing the cost of a wheelie bin collection to a record high of around €20 from their current level of €13.

Compost waste charges across Co Waterford will rise from €7.50 to around €10 and recycling bags will shoot up from €2.25 to anything close to €5.