Domestic Refuse Services in Ireland

Information

Under the Waste Management Act, (1996), all local authorities in Ireland are obliged to collect or arrange for the collection of the domestic waste in their area. They must also provide or arrange for the provision of facilities for the disposal and recovery of household waste. Household waste will generally be collected once a week, whether by a private operator or a local authority. They will follow a specific route and different areas will be serviced on different days.

Under the terms of the Waste Management Act (1996) and the Waste Management (Planning) Regulations (1997), each local authority must prepare a waste management plan, giving details of how they will deal with the waste in their area. Domestic waste can be disposed of in different ways. Most local authorities provide waste collection services. However, private waste collectors are becoming more common. If you decide not to make use of organised waste collection, you can dispose of much of your own domestic waste by recycling, home composting and use of civic amenity centres.

Wheelie bins

Many local authorities and private waste collectors use wheelie bins for domestic waste collection. This system allows for a more efficient collection of waste. A crushloader collecting waste in wheelie bins only requires a driver and two operators instead of the usual four operators. This frees up local authority personnel for other duties and can be a valuable cost saving for private operators. The wheelie bin is safer for both householders and refuse collection workers as the bins are easier to move and can cut down on back injuries and injuries inflicted by broken glass or other sharp objects that may stick out through plastic refuse sacks. Wheelie bins are also less likely to cause a litter problem than refuse sacks as they cannot be torn by animals, vandals or high winds.

Pre-paid bin tags

This system is in operation in some areas of the country. It means that you only pay for the waste you send to landfill and you are not charged for any waste you recycle. You can buy tags from local shops, garages etc., (a full list of participating retailers is available from your refuse operator). Each time you leave your bin out for collection, you must make sure you have the correct priced pre-paid tag attached to the bin, with you name and address written on it. The bin men will then remove the tag and empty the bin. If you do not tag your bin, it will not be collected. Charges vary from region to region.

Bulk waste

If you have a large volume of waste to dispose of, you can hire a skip from a private waste collection company. The cost of hiring a skip varies from company to company. For more details, you should contact waste collection companies in your own area. Bulk waste like DIY waste can be disposed of at civic amenity centres or landfill sites around the country. Some local authorities operate occasional bulk waste collections, but you will be notified of this service if and when it occurs. Bulky items like carpets, furniture or fridges should never be left out for collection by your normal refuse operator.

Recycling

A large percentage of household waste can be recycled and all local authorities must make sure that there are adequate facilities for the public to recycle their waste. While kerbside collection for recyclable material is in operation in some areas, many other areas rely on waste producers bringing their household recyclable material to bring centres and civic amenity sites. The more recyclable and compostable waste that can be separated from the general waste stream, the lower the landfill charges for local authorities and private operators. Most areas are serviced by civic amenity centres and bring centres, which can be run by local authorities or by private companies. At these centres, common household items such as glass, aluminium cans, plastic and newspaper can be recycled. Civic amenity centres provide recycling services for a wider variety of items, such as waste electrical and electronic goods (computers, televisions, videos, etc.), white goods (washing machines, fridges, toasters, etc.) and hazardous items (batteries, fluorescent lighting tubes, etc.).

Composting

Home composting is another useful way of cutting down on domestic waste and home composting units can be bought from your local authority for a subsidised rate. This rate will vary from region to region, so you should check with your local authority for further details. Most civic amenity centres also have composting facilities for green waste (grass cuttings, hedge clippings, leaves). The compost at these sites is available to members of the public free of charge.

Kerbside collection

Refuse collection operators can make significant savings on landfill charges if recyclable and compostable waste is separated from the general stream. Therefore, it is considered worthwhile for them to provide kerbside collections, bring centres and civic amenity centres. So far, the cost of these collection services has rarely been passed on to the householder. Kerbside collection schemes are generally restricted to urban areas but you may live in an urban area and still not have access to a scheme like this. Most local authorities and private refuse collectors plan to introduce or extend these schemes as soon as they can. However, factors like cost must be taken into consideration. Where these schemes are in operation, they are not always obligatory. However, you are asked to co-operate in the interests of a cleaner environment. To find out more details about waste collection and recycling scheme in operation in your area, you should contact your local authority or your private waste collector.

Landfill

Most of the domestic waste produced in this country is sent to landfill. Unless you or your refuse collector sort your waste by removing the recyclable items, everything you put in your bin will end up in a landfill site. It is becoming increasingly difficult and undesirable to find suitable sites for landfill and EU and Government directives have stated that we must reduce our reliance on this form of waste disposal. The Government's plan is to reduce the number of landfill sites in the country in favour of about 20 state-of-the-art landfill facilities that will service the whole population. Local authorities have been asked to produce waste management plans, which include ways of reducing the amount of waste produced and increasing levels of recycling in their areas. Because of the increasing costs of landfill and the new Government levy of €20 imposed on every tonne of waste deposited, many waste collectors are separating all recyclable waste like cardboard, paper, glass and cans in an effort to cut down on their landfill costs.

Rules

Waste collection licensing

All waste collection operators must have a licence or permit to collect, transport and manage the waste that they collect. Both the local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are involved in this regulation. Local authorities are responsible for granting waste collection permits for all waste collection in their areas. These permits lay down the terms under which private operators can collect and transport waste. Local authorities themselves do not have to have waste collection permits if they operate a waste collection service, as they are self-regulating in this respect. Local authorities are responsible for regulating the following:

• The incineration of waste (other than hazardous or hospital waste) at a facility, the capacity of which is equal to or less than 1 tonne per hour
• The recovery of scrap metal or other metal waste
• The dismantling or recovery of vehicles
• The recovery of waste that is composed of or contains mercury or its compounds (including electric lamps, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes)
• The recovery of waste (other than hazardous waste) at a facility (other than a facility for the composting of waste where the amount of compost and waste held at the facility exceeds 1,000 cubic metres at any time)
• The disposal of waste (other than hazardous waste) at a facility (other than a landfill facility) where the annual intake does not exceed 5,000 tonnes per annum.

Information about every waste permit granted by a local authority is available to the public. If you have complaints about your waste collection service, you should contact your local authority, which will have a complaint procedure in place.

The Environmental Protection Agency is also involved in licensing the waste industry. All local authority waste recovery and disposal activities are licensed and closely monitored by the EPA. Large-scale private refuse collectors are also licensed and monitored by the EPA because of the significant polluting potential of their activities. The licence covers the storage of waste at transfer stations, baling stations, composting facilities or any sorting facilities where waste is stored before recycling or removal to landfill. All landfill operators and those dealing with hazardous waste must have an EPA waste licence. If you have complaints about any of these facilities or about the standards of waste collection in your area, you can make a complaint to the EPA, which will investigate and take whatever measures it thinks necessary. This can involve hefty fines and prison sentences for those operators that break the terms of their waste licences.

Rates

Domestic waste charges are levied on almost all households that use an organised refuse collection service. These charges were brought in at different times by different local authorities so it is possible that you had to pay waste charges while someone in the next local authority region paid nothing for their waste collection service. However, it is essential that people be charged for their waste disposal in order to encourage them to produce less waste and recycle more and to finance the management of the waste that is produced.

The local authority can operate a refuse collection service itself or it can recommend a private company to collect the waste in its region. Waste charges can vary considerably from region to region. You should check with your local authority or private operator for further details. If you pay local authority waste charges, your money will go towards funding the collection service, the running of waste disposal facilities like landfill sites and the provision of recycling facilities in your area. If a private waste collection company collects your waste, you will pay a fee directly to this company. Charges will vary and you should contact the company directly for more information on prices. Local authorities do not regulate the prices charged by private refuse collectors.

Waste charges can be paid by to your refuse collector in the usual ways (cheque, direct debit, bank draft, money order, etc.). Some local authorities have an online payment facility in operation. Charges are usually levied on an annual basis but some operators use the "tag a bag" system. This means that bin tags must be bought in participating outlets, like local shops or garages, and stuck on the bags to ensure collection. The price of these tags will depend on how much waste you leave out for collection. You can get tax relief on your waste charges. For further details, you should contact the Revenue Commissioners.

In some local authority areas, low-income households can avail of a waiver on waste charges by private refuse operators and local authorities. These waivers vary greatly from region to region and in some areas they are not available at all. To find out if your local authority operates this waiver scheme, you should contact them directly.

If you decide to dispose of your own waste, you are entitled to do so. However, you must make sure that you dispose of your waste in the proper way. You can recycle much of your household waste at bring centres and civic amenity centres. The remainder can be brought directly to your local landfill site for disposal. There are entry charges to landfill sites in Ireland for cars and car trailers. Vans are considered to carry commercial waste and will be charged accordingly. For more details of charges, contact your local authority or your local landfill site.

How to apply

If you have recently moved to a new area, it will be necessary to arrange for the disposal of your household waste. Your local authority can advise you on waste disposal and recycling facilities in your area. If it provides a waste collection service you want to avail of, you must apply to them directly. Application forms for domestic waste collection are available on most local authority websites. You will have to apply to private waste collection operators directly if you want to use their services. If you choose to dispose of your own refuse, you must do so in recycling and landfill sites.

Local authorities are entitled to make bye-laws about how waste should be presented for collection, i.e., if there is a wheelie bin system in operation in your area, you must present your waste in a wheelie bin or it will not be collected. Some local authority and private waste collectors operate a system of waste separation for householders. Different types of waste must be disposed of in special colour coded wheelie bins, e.g., brown bins for compost, green bins for recycling and black or grey bins for waste that will go to landfill. It is important that you follow the guidelines about how to use these bins. You should contact your local authority or your waste collector if you have questions about how waste should be presented for collection.

Where to apply