Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2017
111. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the timeframe in place for the introduction of the pay-by-weight system for household waste collection; and the pricing structure that is envisaged. [29479/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe charges applied by waste management companies are a matter between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation.
I have been quite clear that I am not introducing mandatory per kilogramme pay by weight charging. My intention is to introduce an incentivised pricing structure which will provide the flexibility for customers to be offered a suite of pricing options to encourage householders to reduce and segregate their waste.
This approach is in line with Government waste policy which is articulated in the 2012 policy document 'A Resource Opportunity- Waste Management Policy in Ireland'. A specific measure in the policy provides that the household waste collection sector will “operate pricing structures designed to incentivise environmentally sustainable behaviours by households in terms of waste reduction and segregation”. Incentivised pricing should encourage us, as a community, to prevent and reduce the amount of waste that we produce and to utilise the value of our waste through reuse, recycling and recovery. This will also enable Ireland to meet its legal obligations as well as current and future targets under EU waste legislation.
The amount of waste being sent to landfill has increased in the last two years. Last year, local authorities had to exercise emergency powers on two occasions to make additional landfill capacity available. We must act to encourage further waste reduction in order to avert a return to an over dependence on landfill. The introduction of an incentivised pricing structure for household waste collection will be an important measure in this regard.
