Reclyed Waste Debate

[BohsPartisan]

it reduces the excess use of water & reduces waste.

We can argue how the charges are introduced but IMO its no surprise recycling has increased when waste charges increased.

Recycling has increased because the facilities that weren't there before were provided. It is also proven fact that a lot of Glass that the householder "recycles" in fact ends up in road construction. Refuse charges are nothing to do with recycling; Service charges in general are designed to open up new markets to private companies at the expense of the tax payer. If you don't believe me read any EU commission document on the subject for the last few years.

[pete]

Service charges in general are designed to open up new markets to private companies at the expense of the tax payer. If you don't believe me read any EU commission document on the subject for the last few years.

I wouldn't say you are incorrect but there are benefits.

I live in apartment complex & the City Council will only collect bins if on the road outside. We have too many bins as they would block the entrance plus because the bins are in underground car park need someone to drag up the ramp.

Up until this year has been few private options so we have been fleeced & recycling would have cost 30-40% extra although basic price has come down in recent years. Now there are so many private operators they queueing up to do business. Now moving to new waste collector at similar price to last company but recycling included & they will collect twice a week. Another company quoted 15-20% lower but just one collection. Will probably cost 100 euro less a year for me now than a few years ago plus hopefully better service.

Local authorities should not contract to a single private waste collector as it just moves from a public monopoly to a private one.

Does this need its own thread?

Does anyone know what happens the "recycled" waste? BTW using glass for roads is probably better than what happens other waste.

[dahamsta]

I don't see a problem with glass being used for roads either. Very much a "wha?" moment.

[Bald Student]

The only potential objection I see is that an amount of energy was put into making the glass and we could possibly have used sand or gravel in the roads but I wouldn't stand by that.

[BohsPartisan]

I don't see a problem with glass being used for roads either. Very much a "wha?" moment.

Sorry maybe should have clarified. The problem with this is that we use way too much plastic. The refuse charges coincided with the closure of our only glass recycling plant. IMO using glass in road construction is wastefull.

Also Pete its the case in most parts of the country that when private operators come in at first the price drops, then they put the council out of business and eventually one or two operators controll the market and the price goes up again. Private operators charge for the green bin which kind of defeats the supposed purpose.
just because there were few recycling options before charges and privatisation does not mean that a comprehensive recycling service could not have been provided by councils if properly funded on the principal of public need rather than profit.
there also needs to be an emphasis on penalising producers for excess packaging.

Good question about what happens other recyclable waste, I have heard a few things but I'd like to find something definitive before posting it here.

[Bald Student]

Private operators charge for the green bin which kind of defeats the supposed purpose.

Ours doesn't and it collects it twice as often as the council which is why we swapped.

Good question about what happens other recyclable waste, I have heard a few things but I'd like to find something definitive before posting it here.

It gets shipped out foreign and is probably not recycled unless there's value in doing that.

[BohsPartisan]

Ours doesn't and it collects it twice as often as the council which is why we swapped.

Yeah but where do you live? The ones that have been privatised for longer like where I live now (Drogheda) reduce service and jack up the price. We're with Panda Waste (which is strange because we don't have a Panda) and by all accounts they are offering great bargins in Dunlaoighre Rathdaown but its 12 euro a bin tag for us and five or six for the green bin (I'm not sure because I don't use it - we take all our stuff to the recycling centre, they charge two Euro and take everything, which is better than the bin service).

[onceahoop]

Fingal CC collect the Green bin once a month, however you can get a second Green bin free. Also the council have quite a few recycling centres ( Ballealy, Swords, Balbriggan to name a few). We've cut our black bin down to fortnightly which saves about €210 per annum. Still waiting on the Brown bin though.

[BohsPartisan]

Fingal CC collect the Green bin once a month, however you can get a second Green bin free. Also the council have quite a few recycling centres ( Ballealy, Swords, Balbriggan to name a few). We've cut our black bin down to fortnightly which saves about €210 per annum. Still waiting on the Brown bin though.

When I was out on the election trail, a constant theme was people wanting to get rid of the brown bin because it creates unsanitory conditions i.e they were full of maggots and not collected often enough.

[onceahoop]

When I was out on the election trail, a constant theme was people wanting to get rid of the brown bin because it creates unsanitory conditions i.e they were full of maggots and not collected often enough.

Fair point BP. What chance the council providing facilities at the recycling centres then. After all it's converted to compost anyway (or is it).