Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has called on the government to urgently intervene to ensure that households are protected from potential price-hikes in Ireland’s privatised waste management system. Stating that it should not be the responsibility of householders in Wicklow to shore up the profits of private waste collectors.
Brady said:
“The unwelcome news that the cost of household recycling could be on the way up brings into sharp focus the contradiction that is at the centre of this government’s approach to waste management. Time and time again, they have shown us that they are willing to prioritise private profits over consumers interests and recycling targets.
Instead of being rewarded for doing the right thing, ordinary workers and families could soon be punished for using the government’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
Within the last week we learned that waste collection companies have warned that they may increase prices for recycling bin collections to make up for the loss of plastic bottles and drinks cans to the DRS.
They claim they have lost revenue due to the decrease in the supply of plastic cans and bottles in recycling bins that they otherwise would have sold back to manufacturers.
The notion that households across Wicklow could face higher costs to protect the profit margins of private collection companies is absurd.
At the same time, there are serious concerns about the lack of transparency and corporate governance at Re-turn, the private company that operates the DRS. Most of its directors are representatives of major beverage manufacturers.
The government must urgently consider whether this constitutes a conflict of interest when it comes to the oversight of the DRS, especially if drinks manufacturers appear to be reaping a financial benefit.
The privatisation of the waste collection industry has been a disaster. We now have a ridiculous situation where there are housing estates across the county that witness anything up to three to four different waste collection companies collecting rubbish in their estate, sometimes on the same day.
The private market continues to bolster a system in which perverse incentives dominate because households are punished for doing the right thing.
Government needs to stop acting like mere commentators and bring the bins back under public control. Responsibility for waste collection needs to be returned to local authorities as it was in the past.
Sinn Féin has long since called for this to happen. 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.
Ordinary workers and families in Wicklow deserve a waste management system designed to deliver a public service, not to have them foot the bill for private companies’ profits.