Brown Bin Survey & Pay by Weight

The Irish Independent recently performed a survey of the Waste Service Providers (WSP’s) in Ireland, 68 in total. Of the 68 contacted only 40 replied, giving an indication, perhaps, of the transparency in the industry. The 40 operators covered 34 local authority areas, and contrary to statutory requirements that Brown Bins be provided to all customers in areas of greater than 1500 inhabitants before July 1st 2015, some waste providers in Donegal, Monaghan,Clare, Cork (City & County), Tipperary, Waterford,  Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Wicklow and Dublin City have failed to do so. The survey also indicated that the amount of  WSP’s who currently charge by weight for the Black Bin is limited to 5, while only 2 operators have the capability to charge per weight for the Brown Bin. Another interesting finding of the survey was the wide variation in the annual charges for an average household producing 951kg of waste per year, ranging from €434 to €204. This average annual household waste comprised of  637 kg of black waste (66{b050ebef00e2b6e935b95b021e9f55f4ab20ffeed47f29e2aa25a2081fec5bc8}), 223kg of green waste (23.5{b050ebef00e2b6e935b95b021e9f55f4ab20ffeed47f29e2aa25a2081fec5bc8}) and 91kg of  brown waste (9.5{b050ebef00e2b6e935b95b021e9f55f4ab20ffeed47f29e2aa25a2081fec5bc8}), and indicates the opportunity that exists for both reducing the amount of black waste that households produce and the cost savings that can be made.  It can cost between €286 and €108 to dispose of  637 kg of black waste. So while  Paul Melia of the Irish Independent is warning, “costs vary widely…and it’s worth doing your homework” , please also consider the environmental impact that not segregating waste can have and the greater cost that it can have for us all in the long term.