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SINN FÉIN TD Darren O’Rourke has said families are being “punished” for using the Deposit Return Scheme after reports that waste management companies are to increase bin charges as a result of lost revenue.
The Irish Independent reported earlier today that waste management companies could accumulate up to €15 million in lost revenue each year as they no longer sell the same tonnage of PET plastics or aluminum, both recyclable materials, to producers.
Though the newspaper reports the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is engaging with waste management unions, O’Rourke has said Government inaction in the privatisation of the industry has brought us to this point.
“Ultimately, the government’s hands-off approach to waste management is not working. The private market continues to bolster a system in which perverse incentives dominate because households are punished for doing the right thing,” the Meath East TD said.
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Sinn Féin Meath East TD Darren O'Rourke. RollingNews.ie
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He added that it is “absurd” that households are expect to make up the lost profit of a few waste corporations and that the Government should be looking to take back control of the waste management sector.
“Multiple EU states have proven that this is the way forward – not only is it better for consumers, but it is better for the environment too,” O’Rourke, the party’s spokesperson for Climate Action and the Environment said.
“Ordinary workers and families deserve a waste management system that doesn’t treat them as the collateral damage in the pursuit of profit maximisation,” he added.
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has been contacted for comment.
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So the deposit returned scheme costs me time and fuel to get my deposit back, and now I have to pay more for my bins despite the fact I use them less? What an amazing system.
@Ger Whelan: there’s a great point you’re burning fuel disposing of the bottles when that said bin is full. That’s a journey you wouldn’t have made and thousands more the same. There’s a great way to impact the environment either extra journeys by people overall throughout the country. Unless of course they can tie all the bottles to they’re push bikes and go down the cycle lanes of the green parties and there’s a recycling machine on it or at the end of it somewhere?
@Sean Hayes: some don’t they have a bin for it in they’re houses like the glass recycling they do it when that glass bin is full not every time there’s a few glass jars and bottles lying about.
@Paddy C: Not to mention the new requirement for trucks making special collections from the vending machines, whilst at the same time the normal bin lorry is covering the same domestic routes and lifting half empty bins.
And of course, these reverse vending machines have to use power and be located in expensive retail floorspace.
@Ger Whelan: waiting, in a que to get my money back, when I’d normally would have put them in the green bin is starting to really annoy the fluck out of me..
@Thomas Sheridan: spot on but unfortunately those who implement these great green incentives obviously didn’t take the time to think it through just nodded off while the thought hit as eamon himself has in the past,hence half assed results.
@Mary.E.: no they would say that’s a separate contract no doubt, although it’s most likely the same company or is connected to it or owned by the same group.Same old, great idea and those who’d benefit from it heard it and backed it knowing they’d make money, nothing to do with the environment at all.
Now we have roderic heading to lead the green party the same idiot who pushed the migration act.Said ‘we have a legal and moral obligation’ to house whoever comes regardless. Board the plane with a passport(you need it to board anywhere in the world) then arrive without it,walla gangsters,fraudsters couldn’t dream of it in they’re wildest imaginations.Even the likes of Snowden who legged it to russia must be kicking himself now,doubt they hand out accommodation and the perks there not a hope.
@Ger Whelan: combine returning your cans and bottles with going to a pac a sac compactor and stuffing your waste in that. Or opt for pay per lift and just don’t put out your bins as much. I step in the bins several times. Last time our recycle bin was out was 30-4-24 and that weighed 17kg total cost €4.49 but we do pay a montly service charge of €12. Hope that helps
@Paul Gorry: well at that point you’re in the shopping centre with you’re trolley if you do so you’ve to carry you’re bags of empty cans around aswel or get them in the trolley and set off the sensors on the way out aswel, great crack altogether.
@Paddy C: A journey you wouldn’t have made ? Do you not go to the shop for food? The recycling machines are at the shops not in some obscure location. People typically have to go to the shop for food and the basics, while there you can simply bring back your few bottles.
@Eric McTible: people getting awful excited about having to bring bottles back to a shop they are going to anyways. I don’t get it. Working in other countries for years. The hike in bins being collected is a joke though to be fair.
I was perfectly happy recycling plastic bottles in the green bin, as were most people. Now I’m paying more and then having to bring these bottles to the supermarket, that’s a twenty minute drive away, in the hope the machine is working. It’s an absolute joke
@Cormac Carroll: Add SF to the list. The usual words of wisdom from SF. Four days ago Belfast Telegraph – Stormont plans to add three recycling bins to collections in NI will cost taxpayers £1 bn. No Greens, FF or FG in the Stormont executive but plenty SFers.
@Vincent Alexander: Why is this SFs fault? It was the greens who pushed this, and it’s the gov that didn’t see the greedy waste disposal companies furey at being down money. So lay the blame where it’s meant to go. By the way, dont believe all you read in the Telegraph.
@Mona Murphy: When the scheme was announced SF expressed no opinion on it. Now they are in with their populist rhetoric. It is often good to look North and see SF’s stance on issues there. It would appear that they are backing six as opposed to the current three bin system with the additional cost. I would have more faith in what the Telegraph prints as opposed to An Phoblacht.
@aidan martin:
Now you have it, remember the bankers that couldn’t count. This racket was about not bringing the plastic and tin back, so profits could be maintained all round.
If ever there was an industry to renationalise it’s waste management …but will a politician ever suggest that no.can’t spook the capitalist/investment/shareholder class horses
@Will Q: can’t blame the bon companies. Their business model included revenue from selling aluminium scrap, now its been taken away and given to Return crowd. It should be Return that have to subside the bin companies.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: why subsidiaries, plenty of companies loose contracts or supply chains and have to diverse without biting the hand that feeds them…
@Will Q: gas how this story only breaking after local and europe elections, so none of the candidates have to deal with it. And then it will gave quietened down nicely for next years general election .. great little country.
No surprise as usual what else was expected. The green party are like the father ted episode were they used rabbits to race instead of greyhounds thinking it would solve they’re problem. If those green clowns had any cop on they would have kept the recycling bins and offered incentives to make sure people place ALL of they’re recyclables in the appropriate bin, by maybe small discount depending on the weight of that bin itself on the overall bill every month. They’re half assed decisions have cost huge sums of taxpayers money to no real avail. Most of the time the machines aren’t working properly or full and I’ve seen people get fed up waiting for it to be sorted and putting it in the nearest bin. Absolute farce and roderics incompetence hopefully will finish them now for good.
Ossian Smith must be the thickest TD in the Dail, no foresight, no planning & no answers. The Drinks Industry allowed to design a scheme that suits themselves & increases their profits & control on the industry. Then they form a Ltd Company place themselves as Directors & no transparency around Salaries or what’s happening to the Millions of Euro in uncollected monies. Ossian Smith now heaping even more pressure on hard pressed families with the Waste Companies increasing prices. The Greens (Neasa) wondering then why events in France are happening, Smith should be fired with immediate effect, a clown.
This country continues to punish the less well off and middle class. Pushing more people into poverty. So hard get ahead with in particular young irish people forced to leave here as cant survives living in this rip off country. Yet irish people being overlooked when comes to housing and health. Sad state in
@martin finnegan: and set to worsen thanks to the migration pact now unfortunately, whats done is done unless enough people kick up and they’re taken from power with the hope of what goes in they’re place has more cop on. Hard to believe the country with its housing,health and cost of living is in the state its in. Blame it on the war in Ukraine or global warming or some crap not the idiots in power who allowed it to unfold and watched it worsen rapidly.
This is Fine Gael FF all over. Half of them are broken and the stench of booze off them, a lot of people putting those flaggins of cider I assume but sometimes it’s puzzling why they can stink of booze so badly. Re the other matter, It’s completely unacceptable what the gangsters looking after bins in Ireland were already charging.
I have been saying since the introduction of Return, that this would be the obvious outcome from removing the majority of premium items from household green bin.
When picking litter I can’t ever remember picking a 2 liter, only cans and 500ml. So take away the levy on the 2 liter and we can go back to putting those in the green bin.
@Patrick K: roderic o gorman might conjure up an idea for it with a stealth tax on it nothings hard to believe with his way of thinking combined with eamons grow lettuce on a window sill in covid. Would want to be a big window sill if you’ve to feed more than a rabbit with it.
@John Mulligan: Jaysus John, can you not for once, just once, comment on the story at hand and not come out with the usual “Gerry Adams ate my hamster” rubbish? It’s really boring and to be honest, I worry about your mental wellbeing.
@Anthony Curran: nice to see that the ‘activists’ are on duty again after the drubbing the IRA got in the elections — they were on silent for a while there.
The army council must be spreading some of the diesel dollars around again.
Who has given out punishment beatings? What evidence have you got? My family lives in belfast, and i haven’t heard of any punishments beatings but I’ve heard a lot about gangsters torturing decent people and cops doing nothing.
It is actually a pain in the hoop that i lose my deposit due to the bin being full and then get charged more for my private bin. I don’t think this was thought through. They charge me 15 cent on every bottle/can but don’t have the capacity to recycle every bottle/can. We’ve been scammed.
I laugh at this, I once was paying local council over €300 for a none service in Galway, bins everywhere, no customer service and now pay €219 a year with a service better than most utilities! I’m paying less now for a better service, long may it continue!
C’mon this little racket has exposed the the green bin recycling ♻️. Little guy gets a few bob back for helping the environment and we are wrong, what about competition. What a great little country.
If these waste collection companies are allowed to increase their fees, It will only be a matter of time before we start seeing bags of recyclables on the paths and country roads.
They are claiming, on what ! losing maybe 12-14, million a year, that’s a serious amount of money, just goes to show how much they were profiting, by reselling our recyclable, products, if they are making that much and more they should be paying us, for collecting, it in the first place. I have put out maybe ten bins, over the last year, green and black, between a service charge, ( now €25.00 with Panda), I have paid them, nearly €200.00, that works out at €20.00 a lift scandalous.
Was not the most stupid thing ever done by our politicians and supported by SF, the charging for the refuse and the giving of the water for so called free. Despite the fact 250,000 rural household having to pay. Now we have a grossly underfunded water system, not fit for drinking in many cases and litter all over the place. Populist politics at its worst.
The usual contributions from the usual suspects on here just whinging and moaning. Like sheep bleating in tandem. Baaaaaa. Baaaaaaa. You just can’t help yourselves and are in no way self aware enough to realise that you all exist in an echo chamber.
@Sun Rise: I feel entirely justified in complaining about something that makes me waste a lot more of my time, and ends up costing me more money.
I’ll say the same thing about Minimum Unit Pricing, it’s done nothing of note except for costing me more money.
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