Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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240. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government how it is that the polluter-pays principle, under which fees to collect household waste are to be charged under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Amendment Regulations 2016, is upheld by the practice of waste companies charging flat per-week service charges to consumers under the pay-by-weight scheme, a charge which must be paid regardless of whether a consumer has presented any waste for collection; if he will amend the regulations in order that service charges that can be charged by waste companies are capped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15529/16]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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242. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will continue to pass on the landfill levy to customers on top of the flat service charges being introduced by waste companies under the pay-by-weight scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15546/16]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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267. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a new charging regime by companies (details supplied) is in line with recent regulations agreed by his predecessor; if he will review the regulations, given the significantly higher cost of bin services these companies have charged under this new regime. [15937/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 240, 242 and 267 together.

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.

The legislation requires that from 1 July 2016 , the collector will charge for each kilogramme of waste collected. The Government has set a minimummandatory fee per kilogramme for the different types of household waste: 11c for black bin (residual waste) and 6c for brown bin (food/organic waste), while a zero cent minimumfee per kilogramme may be set for green bins (recyclate). The per kilogram minimum charge was designed to cover the minimum cost of treating the waste collected after it has been deposited by the collector at their depot or a waste transfer station to its final treatment, whether that be at a landfill, incinerator or other treatment method. This helps ensure that the polluter pays principle is applied in the pricing structure and that the collector has charged at least enough to cover the cost of treating the waste, thus helping to ensure it will be treated properly. A service fee may also be charged by the collector.

Under pay-by-weight charging for household waste collection, there is an opportunity for everybody 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 an open market, it has been, and will continue to be, a matter for the collector to set charges at the level they consider to be competitive, in compliance with the requirements of the legislation. Excessive pricing by individual companies will offer the opportunity for rival operators to provide their services at a cheaper price.

Finally, the landfill levy has proven to be a huge incentive to divert waste from landfill and to encourage the recycling and recovery of materials. The current rate of the landfill levy is €75 per tonne which encourages operators to find alternative treatment options for waste, including household waste. The charge is not paid directly by householders and is not paid by the operator in cases where the waste is recycled or recovered (e.g. incineration with energy recovery).