Thousands of households in Dublin and across the country will be hit with extra bin charges from tomorrow amid the cost of living crisis.
Panda Recycling is set to start charging €3.80 for each compost bin lift, the Irish Mirror reports. The new charge come less than a year since Panda Recycling increased its general waste bin-lift charges by more than 12% and also hiked its service charges.
The charge for each lift of a general waste bin has seen a fairly big increase, as it's gone up by €1.13 to €10.25 since September 2022 which is a rise of 12.4%. It means that households who wish to have their bins collected every fortnight are now paying €50 more per year for waste-collection services.
Read more: Trader criticises construction of 1916 monument on Moore Street
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore slammed the extra bin charges, saying it is counterproductive to bring them in. She told Newstalk: “We want people to do the right thing when it comes to our waste.
“We want people to recycle and we want people to compost In order for them to do that we need to encourage them to do it and not penalise them when they do it so I think it is a counterproductive move by Panda.”
Panda Recycling, whose parent group recently sold for €1billion, has an estimated 360,000 customers. Meanwhile, last month financial adviser Frank Conway said the new charges would hit hard-pressed families in the pocket.
He said: "This will be a shock to people as it goes against the councils’ and the department’s circular economy objective of encouraging people to put less into the general waste bins.”
READ NEXT:
- Social welfare Ireland: €100 bonus cost of living payment due this summer
- 'He's become a regular now' - Bruce Springsteen delights staff at iconic Dublin chipper
Traveller senator distraught after taxi refuses to take her home to halting site
Two-day BBQ Festival in Dublin City Centre featuring live music & comedy shows
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.