Bernard Allen
Question:1568 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his proposals to tax householders on the weight of their domestic waste. [16821/02]
Written Answers. - Waste Disposal.
There are no proposals to tax household waste production.
Under the Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983, as amended, charges may be levied in respect of waste collec tion services provided by or on behalf of local authorities.
The 1998 policy statement, Waste Management – Changing our Ways, advocated that local authorities move rapidly towards full cost recoupment for the waste services which they provide and, both as a matter of equity and to directly incentivise waste reduction, that the level of waste charges should vary according to usage.
The March 2002 policy statement, Preventing and Recycling Waste – Delivering Change, indicated the Government's expectation that all local authorities will move towards introducing weight/volume related charges, to the fullest extent possible within three years.