Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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67. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the role of the price monitoring group in respect of residential waste collection charges; the role of the price monitoring group in the future; his plans to regulate waste management companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14322/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The waste management market in Ireland is serviced by private companies, where prices charged, including any service charges, are a contract matter between those companies and their customers. Since mid-2017, a range of charging options have operated, which encourage householders to reduce and separate their waste. This provides flexibility to waste collectors to develop various service-price offerings that suit different household circumstances. Mandatory per kilogramme 'pay by weight' charging was not introduced. A Price Monitoring Group (PMG) was established at that time to monitor the on-going cost of residential waste collection to homeowners across Ireland as the ‘flat-rate structure’ was being phased out. While fluctuations in prices and service offerings have been observed, the overall trend has been relative price stability. Results from the PMG are available on my Department's website. The PMG will continue to play an important role in collecting and analysing market data to inform policy makers.

I will soon be bringing forward an ambitious new waste policy which will include a range of measures to reform and strengthen waste collection, while enhancing the position of the consumer. The new waste policy will take account of the public consultation process and the discussions of the Advisory Group established to support development of the policy. The policy will also reflect the level of ambition in the waste and climate areas at EU level, including the range of actions proposed in the European Green Deal, which was published in December 2019. It will set out a range of objectives and targets for the State and the measures by which to achieve them.