Irish environment minister Martin Cullen has called for councils to outline their plans now for the roll out of pay-by-weight waste collection systems within two years.
Explaining the plan, the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Minister said: “I want a system that charges people on the quantity of waste they produce. Where there is no incentive to reduce waste, it will only mean more waste. The incentive the government offers rewards people financially. Put simply, if you produce less, you will pay less.”
In the year 2000, 2.3 million tonnes of household and commercial waste were sent to landfill in Ireland, an increase of almost 62% in waste arising in 5 years. About 88% of Ireland's waste is landfilled at the moment, and under its Waste Management Act the country must reduce this to 50% by 2013.
A number of councils have already taken up variable charging to reduce the amount of waste generated by householders, including Cork county council (see letsrecycle.com story). Mr Cullen now wants all Irish councils to follow suit, and is to engage with private waste operators to drive the implementation through over the next two years.
Mr Cullen said: “Collectors, be they local authorities or private sector, must offer households the choice of a tag, pay per bag or weight based system. Such systems are in operation in some counties, but they must be the norm nationwide. Where such systems are operational, waste volumes are down, recycling is up and people are paying less. It is a win-win situation for environment and for households.”
As well as Cork's weight-based system, nine Irish councils are already offering tag-based systems for waste – Cavan, Fingal, Waterford City, Waterford County, Westmeath, Athlone, Dungarvan, Mallow and Fermoy. Residents have to purchase a tag (at about 5 euros – around 3.45 – each) for every bin they fill with waste.
Protest
The existing bin charges have already aroused a great deal of protest, and two politicians were jailed for a month on Sunday for obstructing refuse collections in protests at charges imposed by Fingal county council.
The country’s largest craft union, the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, has said it is considering industrial action over the jailing of Deputy Joe Higgins and Councillor Clare Daly.
The assistant general secretary of TEEU, Eamon Devoy said: “I cannot predict what action the union might decide to take but industrial stoppages in every sectors where we are represented cannot be ruled out. We will also be calling on other unions and trade councils to consider involvement in a co-ordinated campaign to end bin charges.”
He continued: “Jailing Deputy Higgins and Councillor Daly for opposing the introduction of stealth taxes on ordinary working people, while businessmen can openly flout the law before various tribunals is absolutely unacceptable. A situation is rapidly developing where the present government is propping up the exchequer with indirect taxes, while maintaining low income tax and capital gains tax rates for its wealthy supporters.”
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