Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
302. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is aware of the recent fuel surcharge introduced by a company (details supplied) on customers; whether any oversight or regulatory approval is required before private waste operators impose additional surcharges on domestic consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36887/26]
View answerCharges applied by waste collection companies are matters for those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract, competition and consumer legislation. The Minister has no role in relation to pricing in a competitive market.
Waste Management is a statutory executive function of individual local authorities. Private waste collectors operate under a waste collection permit issued by the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO). These permits include a requirement that waste collection charging systems should incentivise customers to source segregate their waste, therefore the fees charged for the collection of the brown bin or mixed dry recyclables bin should be lower than the fees for the collection of the residual general waste bin. Under section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act, the Minister is precluded from exercising any power or control, in particular circumstance, over the statutory functions of a local authority.
The terms and conditions of individual waste collection contracts, including pricing plans for the provision of bins, are matters between the waste collection companies and their customers, subject to compliance with the terms of their NWCPO permit. All such permits can be viewed in full on: nwcpo.ie
