Ireland Introduces Charges for Green Bin Collections

Ireland Introduces Charges for Green Bin Collections

The head of the Panda Recycling company has said that charging for green bin collections will ensure that Ireland can continue to recycle. The company recently announced in an email to customers that it will introduce an annual charge of 21 Euros for 250,000 households, which will be rolled out in Dublin from 19^th April. The email reinforced that Panda’s recycling service is still cheaper than what the councils were charging for services when they entered the market. They added that they have expanded the service to include brown bin collection for organic waste and a bin cleaning service for all waste bins.

In response to criticism, the company said they had been subsidising recycling collections for a year, and that the charge will not increase from 21 Euros.

Why is the charge being introduced?

The company points to China’s decision to ban plastic imports which has had a huge impact on the cost of recycling. China accepted 95% of Ireland’s plastic waste in 2016, and the ban has made the cost of recycling escalate, as companies are now forced to use other expensive waste disposal methods and outlets in other countries.

Will other waste companies follow suit?

Another big waste company, Greyhound, say they have not made a decision on introducing charges, but they’ll be monitoring the situation. They said that China’s policy changes have affected recycling on a global scale, and Ireland was no different in that it faced increasing costs and a loss of recycling outlets. The company added that they have absorbed this cost so far, and they’re exploring all their options.

What the critics say

Critics have accused waste management and recycling companies of only being interested in profit, and of using China’s decision to ban the import of plastics from Europe to their advantage.