Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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55. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has met with waste management companies regarding their recent price increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25082/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The waste management market is serviced by private companies, where prices charged are matters between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation. As Minister for the Environment, Climate & Communications I have no role in setting prices in a private market.

Since mid-2017, all permitted household waste collection companies, under the terms of their permits, have been required to charge fees which incentivise households to reduce and segregate their waste.

Within these rules, the structure of pricing plans is a commercial decision for the waste collection companies and as Minister I have no power to intervene in this. Given the the significant market reforms due to be delivered this year, including introduction of incentivised waste collection charging in the commercial sector, the introduction of a "recovery levy" and the nationwide expansion of kerbside bio-waste collections, I have however instructed my officials to reinstitute the Price Monitoring Group to monitor whether fair and transparent pricing is consistent in the market, in line with commitments given in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (WAPCE).