NEW BIN CHARGES to be introduced this summer could be scrapped before they get off the ground – with the main opposition parties against their implementation.

The new charges were announced just before the election in February by then-Environment Minister Alan Kelly, and will be based on a ‘pay-by-weight’ method.

The charges will also see many people pay for their green bin for the first time – prompting one opposition party to call them “environmental sabotage”.

However, the Department of the Environment say that 87% of households will pay less under the new regime.

People Before Profit have announced a campaign aimed at abolishing the charges.

Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week programme, party leader Richard Boyd Barrett said that he expected “a lot of support” from the public to abolish the charges.

Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

“The fact is is that Alan Kelly has taken away whatever incentive there was for people to recycle and people are absolutely furious about that,” he said.

Judging from the public fury over this I think there will be a lot of public support for a campaign to have these green waste charges revoked.

“It’s environmental sabotage,” he said.

Abolishing

People Before Profit are not alone in their wish to see the charges abolished, with both Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil coming out against the new regime.

Also speaking on the programme, Fianna Fáil TD Darragh O’Brien said that his party were against the charges and would oppose their implementation.

Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

He said that the charges were “brought in without debate” and would cause a reduction in the amount that people recycled.

When asked if the party, together with Sinn Féin, had to power to “kill” the charges, O’Brien said that they did.

“Yes, frankly. We are the main opposition party we have said we will oppose items that we do not agree with,” he said.

Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd, who also spoke on the show, said that the new legislation was a good idea and would save people money.

“I am very much for it,” he said.

If 87% of people listening to me will pay less – that’s good for them.

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