Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views that the new pay-by-weight refuse collection charges are fair to all sections of society given the case of a person (details supplied); the measures he will put in place to relieve this burden from particularly affected groups of society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12134/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Government waste policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy as set out in the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. A number of specific measures have been, and will continue to be, introduced to reduce the amount of waste generated in the State and to increase the segregation of waste which cannot be prevented in line with Government policy. The introduction of pay by weight charges for the collection of household waste is one such measure. In terms of the per kilogramme and service fees which will be charged under pay by weight, the Government has set a minimum mandatory fee per kilogramme for the different types of household waste: 11 cent for black bin (residual waste), 6 cent for brown bin ( food/ organic waste ) and I have decided that a zero cent minimum fee per kilogramme should be set for green bins (recyclate). The collector may also charge a service fee, which will typically cover staff, collection, administrative and back office, capital and overhead costs. It is a matter for the collector to set charges at the level they consider to be competitive , in compliance with the requirements of the legislation. Householders will be able to compare the charges more easily under the new system and choose the option that suits them best or is most cost effective.

During the period in which local authorities were directly involved in the collection of household waste, a minority of individual Councils offered different levels of discount to selected households, based on different qualification criteria.

As local authorities exited the waste collection market, some required the private operators which took on the Councils’ customers to provide a level of discount for existing waiver customers only, and even then for a limited time. The vast majority of such contractual commitments for private operators to provide a waiver have now expired. In that context, the number of households in receipt of waiver discounts is likely to decline further over time, especially as some householders were able to take advantage of special reduced offers elsewhere which actually undercut the waiver price. However, selected private operators still offer some level of discount to former waiver customers on a voluntary basis.

In addition, a very limited number of local authorities make financial contributions toward the cost of the collection of waste from certain households. Again, the qualification criteria and level of support differ from area to area. Such expenditure means that these local authorities divert funding from other areas to support these waiver provisions.

With the exception of one or two municipal districts, local authorities no longer collect waste and the market is now serviced by a diverse range of private operators, where the fees charged are a matter between service provider and customer and the services offered vary across the country. In that regard, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a national waiver scheme could not be imposed in the context of an open market for waste collection.

However, under pay-by-weight charging for household waste collection, there is an opportunity for all customers to have more control over their waste charges and to minimise their waste costs by preventing waste and segregating waste through using the food waste and recyclable waste bins properly. In this regard , a pay-by-weight awareness campaign, launched on 18 May 2016, will be rolled out at national, regional and local levels in the coming weeks and will give invaluable advice to householders on minimising their waste management costs under pay-by-weight charging.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for pay by weight bin charges for those who have to dispose of incontinent or household medical waste; if progress has been made since the last parliamentary question (details supplied) tabled on this issue; and if this will be resolved before 1 July 2016. [11923/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department has met with groups who represent persons with special needs and has been in contact with the HSE and the waste management industry to discuss the issue and to try to find a workable and fair solution to this important matter.

Notwithstanding the complexity of the issues involved, I am satisfied that a number of possible solutions are being explored as a matter of urgency. In that respect, a further meeting is being arranged between my Department, members of the waste industry and representatives of people with special needs early in June with a view to deciding on the most appropriate course of action.