Recently, the issue of local authority waste charges again became contentious. Seeking short-term political advantage, some Opposition parties purported to oppose household waste charges, citing various, but spurious, justifications. The position is simple. The polluter pays principle underpins European Union environmental policy and legislation and must be applied by member states. Specifically, EU waste legislation requires that households, as well as other waste producers, pay for the costs of disposing of their waste. Therefore, household waste charges are mandatory and are here to stay under Irish and EU law. It is wrong for some politicians to be disingenuous by pretending otherwise to the public. It only confuses the argument.