‘Levy us alone until you give customers the correct bins’

Meath householders who haven't been supplied with compost bins are angry that they have to pay the new Waste Recovery Levy.

Customers of Bord na Móna in rural parts of the county say they should not have to pay the charge, which has been introduced to encourage people to reduce general waste by recycling and composting.

They point out that they cannot reduce the waste they send to landfill or incineration, because they don't have compost bins.

“The levy is being charged on the tonnage of general waste, the waste that goes to landfill or incineration. Compost waste is the heaviest of all, so we have no chance of reducing the weight because we haven't got compost bins,” says Bohermeen resident, Rita Kenny.

“None of my neighbours have compost bins and we don't seem to have a choice of changing our service provider. I contacted the company when I realised what the levy was, and they've told me it could be 18 months to two years, before we all get our compost bins,” she pointed out.

“It is not just the additional cost, but the principle of it. We have no way of reducing our waste.

“As a customer who does not have these bins provided, why should I have to pay this levy.”

Bord na Mona Recycling recently sent out a leaflet to customers in the area in which they explained the government levies €10 on each tonne of gereral waste.

Customers were informed that Bord na Mona absorbed the costs for September but all customers would be charged 1c per kilo of general waste from October and this will appear on their quarterly invoice.

“Households can manage the impact of this charge through effective use of their recycling and organic bins,” according to the circular.

A spokesperson for Bord na Móna Recycling said that in certain rural areas with a population of less than 500 people, it hasn’t been feasible to provide brown bin collection services to date.

“This aligned with the requirements that were previously set out in the 2015 EU Household Food Waste and Bio-waste Regulations which introduced brown bins to population centres above 500 people.

“Bord na Móna Recycling recognises that extending the provision of brown bin access to households in less populated locations is integral to supporting more effective and cost-efficient waste management approaches within those areas.

“In line with the recently updated Household Food Waste and Biowaste regulations and wider industry efforts, the company is currently developing plans for the roll out of a brown bin collection service for households in locations with a population of less than 500 people.”