Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

231. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the proposed new charging structures for waste management companies; the restrictions and limits he has placed on these companies' charging regimes; the steps he is taking to protect customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32016/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The amount of waste being sent to landfill has increased in the last two years. Last year, local authorities had to exercise emergency powers on two occasions to make additional landfill capacity available. We must act to encourage further waste reduction in order to avert a return to an over dependence on landfill. The introduction of an incentivised pricing structure for household waste collection will be an important measure in this regard.

Flat rate fees for household waste collection will be phased out over the period autumn 2017 to autumn 2018 as customers renew or enter new contracts. It is worth noting that the measure is not ‘new’ for the more than half of kerbside household waste customers who are already on an incentivised pricing plan, i.e., a plan which contains a per lift or weight based charge.

The charges offered by waste management companies are a matter between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s role includes the enforcement of competition and consumer protection law, the promotion of consumer and economic welfare, as well as investigating and challenging practices that are damaging to consumers and/or the wider economy and bringing anti-competitive behaviour and practices that are harmful to consumers to an end, where necessary by court actions.

In addition, I will put in place pricing monitoring arrangements to provide monthly reports on pricing developments and will ask the Competition & Consumer Protection Commission to report on the operation of the household waste collection market. This will inform the future development of national waste management policy before year end, which will provide an evidence base to establish a regulator to prevent price gouging. I have also indicated a support of €75 per person per annum for persons with long term or lifelong medical incontinence availing of a kerbside household waste collection service to meet the estimated disposal cost of incontinence products.