Bin Charges in Ireland

Ireland’s waste collection system is run, almost entirely, by private operators on a side-by-side competitive basis. Local authorities have all but exited the household waste collection arena.

In Ireland, households are required to pay a fee for waste collection services, which is typically determined by the weight or size of the bin and the frequency of collection.

Pay by weight Bin Charges were first supposed to become compulsory in Ireland back in July 2016 . However those changes were suspended for a year after concerns about bin companies raising prices. 

In July 2017 : The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment announced that they would not be enforcing a complete Pay by Weight system . Instead – they would no longer allow flat rate bin charges  to be applied. This meant that from 1st Oct 2017 – new customers or renewing customers cannot be offered a flat rate fee for residual household waste

However – waste collection companies are free to use any of several options or combinations of charging methods such as :

  • standing charges
  • pay per-lift
  • pay per-kilogramme,
  • pay by weight-bands
  • weight allowance charges.   Fixed / Standing charges are still going to be allowed but the bin companies will also have to incorporate a charge that relates to the amount of waste a household produces. This is normally in the form a charge per kg once you exceed a set weight per lift.

Compost Bins (Brown Bins)

Note: From 2016 – if you live in a town with a population of over 500 – your bin provider was obliged to give you a brown bin for food waste and other organic waste such as garden waste. This was supposed to have been the case since 2016 – but it seems some waste companies have not been providing them in some areas.

From Jan 1st 2024 – all bin companies are now legally obliged to provide brown bins for food and compostable garden waste. This new regulation now covers rural areas and smaller villages .

Bin companies have to provide garden waste collections for everyone – and that is a minimum of once a month from March to October.

The revised legislation was only finalised with the waste companies recently – so it will probably be phased in over the first few months of 2024.

Any Householders who do not want a brown bin will have to provide a written explanation of how they plan to dispose of their food waste.

Charges by weight are usually lower for organic/compost waste. For example – in Galway , Barna Recycling have a plan that charges 19c per kg for normal waste and 12c per kg for compost/food waste

Food / garden waste is typically the heaviest waste – so by putting all your organic waste in the brown compost bin you will reduce any weight-related charges on your general waste.


Charges for Recycling Bins


Most bin companies didn’t initially charge for green recycling bins – but some companies started to charge in 2018 because of the increased recycling costs. However – many companies still take recycling bins for free as part of a household waste collection plan.


Dublin Bin Charges Compared   


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