Householders pay for broken promise

HOUSEHOLDS face increased bin charges in 2005, despite Government promises that a move towards a pay-by-use pricing system would lead to reduced bills for waste collection services.

A survey by the Irish Examiner of new refuse charges set by local authorities around the country reveals that most households in the 34 main administrative areas will pay more than in 2004 to have their rubbish collected.

The findings contradict promises made by embattled Transport Minister, Martin Cullen, who promoted the pay-by-use scheme on the basis that it would reward people who reduced and recycled their waste.

"Those who recycle more will pay less, those who don't will pay more," said Mr Cullen when he announced details of the pay-by-use scheme last March in his previous role as Environment Minister.

He claimed pilot tests on pay-by-use schemes had shown that people would enjoy lower refuse charges when the system went nationwide in 2005.

However, most councils who operate their own waste collection services have increased their 2005 charges by more than the latest annual inflation rate of 2.9%.

Although figures are not as readily available from councils who have licensed private waste operators, householders in these areas are also facing increases in their bin charges as private waste collectors are likely to pass on higher charges at council-owned landfill sites to their customers.

Dublin City Council had one of the lowest charges anywhere in the country in 2004 with a fixed charge for a standard bin of €195. However, under its new combination of a standing charge plus a collection fee, a household with a weekly collection will face an annual bill of €340 an increase of 74%.

Only users with a small bin who have their waste collected once every three weeks, will see a reduction in their bill, according to council officials.

Bin charges in Fingal County Council are to rise by 20% with the cost going up from €5 to €6 per tag.

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, which is using a system combining a standing fee with charges based on number of collections and weight, estimates the average annual bill for households will be €344 up over 14% from a fixed charge of €300 in 2004.

Waterford County Council has announced a 44% increase in the cost of collecting a standard bin with prices going from €9 to €13 per collection. The cost for the collection of recycling bags and organic bins will rise by 50%.

Householders in Waterford city will see the standing charge rise from €80 to €100 with a 33% increase in the collection cost as the cost of tags rises from €4.50 to €6.

Residents in Wexford, Cavan and Tipperary South will face average increases of 10% to 20%, while households in Cork city will face increases of less than 10% on average.

One local authority, Galway City Council, has failed to meet the January 1 deadline set for introducing a pay-by-use system, although it has begun a pilot scheme in the Knocknacarra area of the city.

Others like Mayo and Wexford are continuing with fixed charges, although they offer residents a choice of bin sizes with prices lower for the smaller bins.

Wexford County Council is also the only local authority area to impose a "Government levy" of up to €16 on users as part of their waste charges.

Contrary to the spirit of the "polluter pays" principle, several local authorities, including Longford, Tipperary South, Waterford, Westmeath and Kilkenny Borough Council have introduced charges for collecting recyclable material, although these charges are considerably less than for ordinary waste.

Green bin collections are free in most urban areas in order to promote the recycling of household refuse.