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Minister Coveney today welcomed the launch of the Pay by Weight Awareness Campaign concerning the collection of household waste. “The introduction of Pay by Weight will mean that the majority of households will be charged in a new, fairer and more transparent way for the collection of their waste” noted the Minister.

The Minister highlighted the potential of this new charging structure to incentivise the prevention of waste and divert material from landfill, to give families more control over their waste management costs and to further drive increases in recycling rates. “Pay by weight charging should provide better value for households who minimize their waste and segregate correctly. It will help Ireland achieve current and future EU recycling and landfill waste targets, and will also result in further job creation, due to the processing of more recyclable and organic waste.”

Minister Coveney, following close consultation with Minister Naughten, stated that he had decided to remove the mandatory minimum pay by weight charge for the collection of recyclate (or “green bin”) waste as part of the new household waste collection regime. Recognising that there is a cost to collecting and managing recyclable household waste, the change will allow collectors the maximum flexibility to charge for this waste stream on a pay by weight basis or alternatively to absorb that cost in another part of their pricing structure. “I will be amending the relevant Statutory Instrument accordingly in the very near future” concluded the Minister.

ENDS