Council objects to private operator’s price claims

A WAR of words over waste collection prices is threatening to become a battle in the courts.

Cork County Council confirmed yesterday that it has sent a solicitor’s letter to a private waste collector ordering it to desist from claiming in its advertisements that the local authority was charging households €400 per year for waste disposal.

Midleton-based Wiser Waste Management recently sent out fliers detailing an introductory offer of €280, although some of its clients pay €360 per annum.

The company claimed it was cheaper than other private operators in Cork and considerably cheaper than the county council.

A council spokeswoman said yesterday that it had sent a solicitor’s letter to the company, claiming it was misleading the public on the local authority’s charges.

“For the last year the average charge made by the county council was €279 per household,” the spokeswoman said.

The council recently passed a small increase on last year’s bill, but this wouldn’t bring the average charge per household anywhere near the figure quoted by Wiser Waste Management, she said.

The council’s standard collection charge will increase from €120 to €125, next year, and the rate per kilo of waste disposed of will go up from 47 cents to 50 cents.

Dermot O’Brien, managing director of Wiser Waste Management, said that following the solicitor’s letter fliers had been amended to put a question mark next to the council’s charges.

He said his legal representatives were looking into the case and that he believes the council’s claim that its average charge is €279 “was inordinately low”.

The council is in the process, meanwhile, of mounting a major advertising campaign to win customers back from private operators — having lost much business.

The authority is looking at expanding its service to several other areas, but has been criticised by one of its own members for failing to expand in North Cork.

Labour councillor Sean Sherlock said he was disappointed that despite lobbying the council won’t be expanding waste collection services in parts of Watergrasshill, Ballindangan and Castlelyons.

“I have been told by council officials that such a request is not possible at present [because] the one vehicle covering the Fermoy area has a high number of lifts, and any extension of the route would delay the vehicle in getting to the landfill,” Mr Sherlock said.