Irish consumers may be penalised if charges for recycling bins are introduced.

The Green Party said it would be like "taking a step backwards" and called on the Government to scrap the plans.

Party spokesperson David Healy said: "It makes very little sense. Recyclable materials are valuable. Waste companies sell them on as raw materials. It should be free to consumers. We warned that charges were a possibility when the Government introduced pay-by-weight pricing structures without regulating waste companies. It’s a shame that it has come to pass.

"The cost of recycling packaging waste is supposed to be borne by the producers of the waste under the Producer Responsibility System. Unfortunately, Repak only covers 40% of the cost of dealing with the packaging their members put on the market. Instead of landing the costs on the public whose ability to affect packaging is limited, they should be borne by those who produce the packaging, giving them a stronger incentive to design more sustainable packaging, intended for reuse, composting and recycling."

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Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD also criticised the plans.

He said: "Plans by waste operators to introduce a new charge for green bin collection will inevitably lead to less people recycling and more illegal dumping.

"Any additional charge will impact on already hard pressed households while doing little to encourage recycling.

"Using the decision by China to shut its doors to our recycling waste as a reason behind the decision is nonsense when you consider that these plans were in place two years ago until the government panicked in the face of strong opposition and scrapped its plans.

"It is lazy policy to simply slap another charge on households instead of bringing forward a comprehensive recycling plan."

(CD/MH)