Paul Murphy denounces bin charge hikes, urges council control
Paul Murphy challenged the minister over rising bin charges after Greyhound announced a further 10% increase, calling the hikes price gouging and linking them to the deposit return scheme. He urged scrapping bin charges and returning waste collection to council control.
Price rises and household impact
Households face steep increases in waste charges - three years ago bin collection cost €16.50 a month, now it is almost €30 a month, around €300 a year. Murphy said an additional 10% increase by Greyhound is outrageous price gouging and argued that people returning bottles and cans under the deposit return scheme are nonetheless being penalised with higher bin bills.
Company justification and minister's reply
The minister rejected the claim that the deposit return scheme is the cause of recent price rises, calling that suggestion ludicrous and noting that companies often raised prices before the scheme began. The minister emphasised that bin companies have previously increased charges and responded to public concerns about the number of firms operating on the same streets.
Market structure review and franchise option
In response to concerns about competition and overlapping services, the minister said a study has been commissioned to examine the market structure for waste collection. The review will consider whether local authorities should move to a franchise model - potentially appointing a single waste collection company for each local authority - as a way to address service organisation and pricing.
Policy positions and implications
Paul Murphy argued that organising waste collection for profit fails both environmental goals and household interests, and reiterated his call to scrap bin charges and return collection to council control. The minister's study marks the next step in exploring structural reform of the bin sector and possible changes to how collections are contracted at local authority level.
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Minister, what do you say to those families who are facing yet another 10% price increase in bin charges by Greyhound? It is outrageous price gouging. You go back three years and they were charging 16.50 a month. Now it's up to almost 30 euros a month, 300 euros a year. Incredibly, they are claiming one of the reasons that they're increasing the prices is because people are returning their bottles and their cans with the deposit return scheme. So people are doing as they're asked, they're behaving as we want them to, and the consequence is that their bin charges go up. It underlines the fact that organising waste collection on the basis of profit does not make sense from the point of view of the environment and from the point of view of households. We need to scrap bin charges, we need to return bin collection to the control of councils. Thank you. Minister O'Shean Smith. I think it's ludicrous to suggest that bin companies are putting up their prices because of the deposit return scheme. They were absolutely capable and they often put up their prices before the deposit return scheme was brought in. One thing that people have said to me is that they're not happy about the number of bin companies that are operating on the same streets around our country and that this isn't the normal way that our bin service, that waste collection happens in other countries. So I've commissioned a study to look into the market structure and to see whether the local authorities should switch towards a franchise model whereby there would be one waste collection company in each local authority. Thank you very much Deputy Verona Marks. Thank you very much Deputy Verona Marks.
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