I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 102 together.
Charges 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. I have no role as Minister 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.
The National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) has engaged a research consultancy to carry out a study on incentivised charging for waste collection and its implementation through the Waste Collection Permitting System. This study will examine what changes could be made to the permitting system, for waste collectors to fully incentivise waste prevention and improved source segregation practices by their customers to minimise their waste collection bills.
My Department is also commissioning a comprehensive study to explore the feasibility, potential benefits and risks associated with transitioning our waste collection system from its current model of side-by-side market competition to a franchise tendering system for local authority areas or regions. Stakeholder views will be gathered as part of this study and the Report referred to by the Deputy can be included as part of that process.
