What do you think would be a fair price for bin collection?

smjm

I currently pay per lift to have my bins collected: €13.50 for a waste bin and €6.50 for the recyclables. Naturally this already encourages me to reduce my waste in general, and to recycle as much as possible. In the last year, I've put the general waste out 6 times and the recyclables out 4 times for a total cost of €107.

My collector now intends to implement a flat rate of €156 per year regardless of whether a bin is ever put out, plus pay-by-weight charges of 22c/kg for general waste, 15c/kg for food waste and 10c/kg for recyclables. Given my weights per bin for the past 12 months, this would have totalled about €94, giving a total yearly charge of €250. A big increase from €107!

Given the new scheme, I would have no reason not to put my bin out every week of the year. In fact, to get my money's worth, I might put the bins out even if they're practically empty! This means the collectors will go from collecting 10 bins per year to 78 bins a year from me! (26 waste + 26 recyclables + (newly) 26 food bins). That's a massive increase in time, manpower and probably pollution from stopping and starting the truck more frequently. Multiply this by every other person in a similar position to mine and there's no way my bin company could perform their current rounds without increasing staff and probably truck numbers.

To me, a fairer system would only charge per lift and per weight - (albeit with a minimum yearly charge of, say, €52, for those who hardly ever put a bin out, but still require them occasionally). The charges per lift would be €2 for general waste, €2 for recyclables and €1 for food waste. The charges per weight that my collector has outlined seem reasonable to me.

So, the question is, given your current charges, what new pricing regime do you think is reasonable/fair for you personally, and that would also achieve the supposed stated aims of the new legislation, to both reduce overall waste and to ensure that anything that is collected is properly segregated?

foggy_lad

A service fee of €10/month which is also credited against your collections, then general waste at 12cent/kg and organic at the minimum per kg and mandatory glass bins to reduce the cost of general waste.

smjm

foggy_lad wrote: »

A service fee of €10/month which is also credited against your collections, then general waste at 12cent/kg and organic at the minimum per kg and mandatory glass bins to reduce the cost of general waste.

Seems reasonable. I think there'd have to be different schemes for different people, which is exactly how it works in my area at the moment. Some people are always going to have near full bins every week, whereas others, like myself, couldn't fill up a bin per week if I tried!

I don't think making glass bins mandatory would be a good idea. Many people haven't got room enough for the current number of bins. I wouldn't be able to fill a glass bin in a decade! The little glass I do have gets dropped into the bins at the local bring bank.

andygaw

We should getting this service as part of our proprty tax, time for a nationwide campaign.

I've been on to my local councillor and his national party regarding this, I urge everyone to do the same with their respective td's etc.

Irish Water was a wake up call for this country, peoples mood has changed massively but politicians of a certain hue still don't get it.

the ordinary working & unemployed person is being bled dry by this government being too cosy with big business and doling out sinecures to the "loyal".

Wanderer78

i think at this stage, id rather see it back under control of the local authorities even though i think having it under private control for the last while has made us all aware of how important it is to deal with our waste properly. this charges situation only goes one way!

smjm

andygaw wrote: »

We should getting this service as part of our proprty tax, time for a nationwide campaign.

I've been on to my local councillor and his national party regarding this, I urge everyone to do the same with their respective td's etc.

Irish Water was a wake up call for this country, peoples mood has changed massively but politicians of a certain hue still don't get it.

the ordinary working & unemployed person is being bled dry by this government being too cosy with big business and doling out sinecures to the "loyal".

Wanderer78 wrote: »

i think at this stage, id rather see it back under control of the local authorities even though i think having it under private control for the last while has made us all aware of how important it is to deal with our waste properly. this charges situation only goes one way!

I'd be happy to see it under public control too. Competition doesn't work for all things. I don't think any major existing party would nationalise waste collection though. We'd have to start a new one!

Matt Markinson

The "service" charge is the best hidden charge scam ever. Another cosy Irish cartel to screw over the Irish public.

Water John

Its used to guarantee income to the service provider.
It also means the frugal user is subsidising the careless excessive one.

Wanderer78

Water John wrote: »

Its used to guarantee income to the service provider.
It also means the frugal user is subsidising the careless excessive one.

it also means that responsability of our waste issues is mostly placed onto the shoulders of the end user and little or no responsibility is placed onto the creators of our materials, hence why i think there should also be a 'creator pays principle'!

BorneTobyWilde

It was suppose to be pay per weight so that people reduce their waste produced, but now its pay per weight and they still want to charge you the same charge you currently pay.
So you pay twice now.
WHAT BS
Whole idea of pay per weight was to reduce the amount people pay, but its the opposite effect regardless of how much people recycle, you still pay more and it will only go up not down.

smjm

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

It was suppose to be pay per weight so that people reduce their waste produced, but now its pay per weight and they still want to charge you the same charge you currently pay.
So you pay twice now.
WHAT BS
Whole idea of pay per weight was to reduce the amount people pay, but its the opposite effect regardless of how much people recycle, you still pay more and it will only go up not down.

Indeed, the various operators were just waiting for a good opportunity to hike prices massively. They thought they could cover themselves by saying "it's not us, it's the government!", while the government say "it's not us, it's the EU!" Both appear to have bitten off more than they can chew this time!

Matt Markinson

This country is just one giant scam after another. What a joke.

Matt Markinson

Wanderer78 wrote: »

na its clearly obvious to me that the eu is just a massive neoliberal movement and nobody seems to know what to do about it

Pay by weight is not the problem, as usual its the Irish implementation of it where the scamming begins.

Matt Markinson

Wanderer78 wrote: »

fair enough, so what are the root causes?

Irish greed and corruption, combined with incompetence, all from the top down.
A nice little recipe.

JimsAlterEgo

an actual pay by weight with no service charges?

foggy_lad

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

an actual pay by weight with no service charges?

Or pay by weight where the service charge goes towards you pay by weight charges.

Also there is needed a system where every weighing machine is checked at least twice yearly for accuracy by a state organisation.

Sam Russell

foggy_lad wrote: »

Or pay by weight where the service charge goes towards you pay by weight charges.

Also there is needed a system where every weighing machine is checked at least twice yearly for accuracy by a state organisation.

That is already the case according to the metrology people who look after the weights and measures. From 1st July it becomes statuary.

Sam Russell

Mod: Brexit has nothing to do with this thread and so I have deleted some posts.

jester77

I like the system we have here and the prices are very fair, plus no nonsense with weight.

There is a flat fee of 6.56 per month, paper bin is collected every 4 weeks at no cost, plastic/metal bin is collected every 2 weeks at no cost, bio waste is collected every 2 weeks at 1.96 per month and general waste is collected weekly at 13.29 per month. If it doesn't fit in the bin then you purchase extra sacks and leave them out.

In total it costs 21.81 a month (261.72 per year) excluding extra sacks

foggy_lad

Sam Russell wrote: »

That is already the case according to the metrology people who look after the weights and measures. From 1st July it becomes statuary.

Afaicr there was someone on the Sean O'rourke show this morning stating that the machines were never tested by the LMSI and they would not have the staff to check them either.

foggy_lad

jester77 wrote: »

I like the system we have here and the prices are very fair, plus no nonsense with weight.

There is a flat fee of 6.56 per month, paper bin is collected every 4 weeks at no cost, plastic/metal bin is collected every 2 weeks at no cost, bio waste is collected every 2 weeks at 1.96 per month and general waste is collected weekly at 13.29 per month. If it doesn't fit in the bin then you purchase extra sacks and leave them out.

In total it costs 21.81 a month (261.72 per year) excluding extra sacks

And none of that pay by weight nonsense that is being forced on us by people who really don't have any experience or knowledge beyond filling their own wallets with cash.

smjm

Interesting article: 'Whatever happened to competition of bin collectors?'

irishtimes.com/news/politics/whatever-happened-to-competition-of-bin-collectors-1.2692645

(Sorry I can't post proper links yet. You'll have to copy and paste to read it!)

_Tombstone_

smjm wrote: »

Interesting article: 'Whatever happened to competition of bin collectors?'

irishtimes.com/news/politics/whatever-happened-to-competition-of-bin-collectors-1.2692645

(Sorry I can't post proper links yet. You'll have to copy and paste to read it!)

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/whatever-happened-to-competition-of-bin-collectors-1.2692645

hmmm

I hope we never have to go back to a "public" system. Our private bin company pick up our bins on time every week, put the bins back where they found them and the few times I've had to contact them I've had a quick response. This is a million times better than the half-arsed "service" we used to receive from the council - in particular over the Christmas period I remember repeatedly leaving our bins out in the futile hope they might be collected some week the council workers could be bothered to work.

BorneTobyWilde

The pay per weight systems eliminated the smaller bins companies as they could not afford or comply with all the new rules and the technology that every truck needed to be fitted out with. So competition is simple not there any more.

Water John

The use of regulation to squeeze out smaller operators, supposedly put on us by the EU, is regular in Ireland. Usually facilitated by a friendly politician.

smjm

Water John wrote: »

The use of regulation to squeeze out smaller operators, supposedly put on us by the EU, is regular in Ireland. Usually facilitated by a friendly politician.

The brown envelopes have been recycled!