Phil Hogan, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, has written to the National Consumer Agency to express concern about the information being provided to the public by some waste collection firms in recent weeks in relation to increased bin charges.

He said: "It is inexcusable and reprehensible that a waste collector would try to use the increase in the landfill levy as a smokescreen to inflate their prices."

This came in the wake of reports that waste collection companies are using the recent increase in the landfill levy as a pretext to disproportionately raise waste collection charges.

The Minister commended the role of the National Consumer Agency in tackling one such company involved.

He said: "Notwithstanding the apparent climb down by the company involved in this instance, I have brought the matter of the accuracy of charging information being provided by waste collectors to the attention of the National Consumer Agency, as this type of opportunistic behaviour is unacceptable."

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The Minister published A Resource Opportunity - Waste Management Policy in Ireland in July last year. The national waste policy is predicated on the waste hierarchy whereby prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery are the preferred approaches to managing waste and disposal of waste to landfill is minimised. The policy envisages the virtual elimination of landfill over time. "I clearly signalled the increase in the levy a full twelve months in advance of its introduction, so it should not have come as a surprise to anybody in the industry," noted the Minister.

While it is accepted that the levy does impose an extra cost on disposing waste to landfill, its primary function is to change both consumer and industry behaviour to divert waste away from landfill to more productive uses. In fact, as the Minister noted, some firms are exporting material for recovery in incinerators abroad which is not subject to a levy and the latest EPA National Waste Report (2011) indicates that the amount of household waste disposed to landfill in Ireland has decreased by 11% year on year. The Minister encouraged consumers to challenge their service providers and to demand clear information for the rationale behind increased charges.

The levy also plays a vital role in ensuring the State complies with European Union legislation.

The Minister said: "The levy is a key instrument to ensure we meet our international waste obligations, including the strict limits applicable under the Landfill Directive, and thus avoid the imposition of fines which would ultimately end up being funded by the tax-payer. In this regard, to see the levy quoted by some in the industry as a justification for imposing irrational price hikes is particularly galling."

(CD/IT)