Pay by Weight Waste Charges..Eat Less may be the Solution?
The recent announcement by the Minister Coveney, on the postponement or perhaps potential scrapping of Pay by Weight bin charges must be viewed with some scepticism. In his announcement, set out below, the Minister indicated that an interim dual billing system will 
operate during which time customers will be able to see the quantities of waste they are disposing of, and that Pay by Weight will be reviewed in July 2017. Taking into consideration the large quantity of householders, MUD’s and campus accommodations that do not currently have a Brown Bin service,
it will be difficult if not impossible for those customers to see over time “their costs under the continuation of their current price plan and details of the comparative pay-by-weight charge” At present these customers have only two bins, and have been told that there are no plans for them to receive a Brown Bin regardless of the legal obligation on their Waste Service Providers to provide them with one. This begs the questions, will they be 
supplied with a Brown Bin during the ” 12 month transition phase”, and if not how will they be able to reduce their bill when they will not be able to properly segregate their waste at source and make a comparative analysis. Eat less perhaps, to be on the save side!
“Price Freeze and phased introduction of Pay-by-Weight in new Government plan
Environment Minister Simon Coveney today announced the successful conclusion of an agreement with the Waste Industry with regard to the introduction of Pay-by-Weight charging for waste collection.The Government this morning agreed a plan to resolve the on-going issues around bin charging and the introduction of pay by weight. The plan is a comprehensive one which will protect households from increased charges and ensure that the introduction of pay by weight can happen in a way that builds acceptance and understanding of the benefits of Pay-by-Weight over time.
Since the waste industry began releasing its planned pricing plans in relation to the nationwide roll-out of pay-by-weight charging at the start of June, the Government has flagged its significant concerns regarding the reported escalation of waste bills for some customers from July, particularly in relation to proposed increases in service charges. Under the Government plan customers will over time be able to see, through a dual billing process, details in their bills about the amount of waste they are disposing of, their costs under the continuation of their current price plan and details of the comparative pay-by-weight charge.
At the end of this 12-month transition period (in July 2017), the Government will review the operation of pay-by-weight, including the effectiveness of the transition process, and make decisions regarding its further roll-out, regulation and oversight of the sector.
Crucially, the plan also provides assurances for users of incontinence products supplied by the HSE that they will not face additional charges under pay by weight and that operators will absorb this cost.
Appropriate amendments to the waste legislation will be made to provide for comparative billing information for customers and opt-in arrangements.
The operation of the price freeze by the industry will be closely monitored by Government and, in the event of evidence of it not being honoured, the Minister will ensure that primary legislation is brought forward to legislate to enforce the freeze”
Minister Coveney, June 21st 2016
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