Top bin collection company to raise prices

One of the country’s biggest bin companies is increasing its prices, but not because of the new waste-collection measures that come into effect next month.

Greenstar, which provides recycling and waste-collection services across 14 counties, including Cork, Dublin, Wicklow, and Donegal, is increasing its charges because of the falling value of recyclables in the international commodity market.

A household customer with a green, black, and compost bin, who pays €23.76 a month, will pay €24.50 from September 1.

This is a monthly increase of 73c, which the firm is bringing in because they now pay to recycle waste.

“Due to the decrease in [the] value of recyclables, international commodity prices have dropped consistently over the last six months, meaning that instead of being paid for the recycling we collect, we are now paying to have it recycled,” read a Greenstar ‘notice of change’ letter to its customers.

“Due to the drop in commodity prices, we have had to spend more time and money on processing our recycling to ensure it is of excellent quality for the available markets to take our material.”

This new charge is separate to the bin-fee increases that are predicted to kick in from September.

In June, the Government announced it would not be enforcing a pay-by-weight system. Instead, from September, flat-rate bin charges are no longer permitted.

It means waste-collection companies are free to use several charging methods, such as standing charges, pay-per-lift, pay-per-kilogramme, pay-by-weight bands, and weight-allowance charges.

Last month, it was claimed that a single tea bag and four biscuits resulted in people being fined for bin-waste contamination by a provider in Dublin.

However, these claims were refuted by the bin provider, Greyhound.