“Private waste companies will continue to raise recycling fees, despite scrapping of minimum government charges”

Cllr. Éilis Ryan (Workers’ Party, Dublin North Inner City) has said that the government’s announcement that it was scrapping minimum recycling charges will make little difference to many households in areas such as the capital’s north inner city who already pay for recycling.

Cllr. Ryan said: “The reality is that, as long as waste collection is a privatised service, companies will charge as much as they can get away with – whether for waste, recycling or organic material. This is already the case for Greyhound bag customers across the north inner city, for example.” The government has abandoned plans to introduce recycling fees, saying it recognises they will discourage households from recyling. But Cllr. Ryan believes that, without the re-introduction of a public waste collection service, the government will not be able to effectively increase recycling by the public.

The Workers’ Party Cllr. said: “The Workers’ Party is calling for the re-introduction of a fully public waste collection service in Dublin and indeed nationally. The cost to Dublin City Council of illegal dumping is escalating as private companies raise their fees, for both general waste and recyclables. Privatisation of waste collection has failed – and the unwillingness of private companies to provide a free recycling service is further evidence of this.”