I move
That leave be granted to introduce Bill entitled an Act to improve the efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability of household waste collection services throughout the functional areas of local authorities; to provide for a scheme for the waiver of household waste collection charges on grounds of personal hardship; to enable local authorities to make provision by bye-laws relating to the duty of landlords in respect of the presentation of household waste by their tenants; for these purposes to amend the Waste Management Act 1996; and to provide for related matters.
I am very proud to introduce this Bill today. The Waste Management (Single Household Waste Collection Service) Bill is the culmination of many years of work across constituencies and communities, including my own constituency, that are dealing with scourge of illegal dumping, hazard and a sometimes unreliable waste collection and work with the trade union movement, in particular, the SIPTU-Fórsa campaign "More Power to You", which involves the fight for greater public services. This Bill seeks to do three things. It aims to overhaul the system of waste collection in this country.
The Labour Party wants to move waste collection from a system of competition in the market to competition for the market. We want to recognise that in a cost-of-living crisis the cost of waste disposal is a significant cost for some households, such as those with a member with a disability, caring or on low income. We need to introduce a waiver across every local authority in the country for certain households.
The third aspect of the Bill s crucial and it is the simplest part of the legislation I am proposing. We need to provide for landlord responsibility. The reality is that there are far too many tenanted accommodations across this country where there is no proper waste collection contract in place. The landlord does not take responsibility. The tenants, for a variety of reasons, whether culture, cost or overcrowding, do not take responsibility and we are left with the results on the street. However, it is really important to recognise that it is not just tenants. There are also homeowners in this country who are responsible for illegal dumping. As a starting point, we need to make sure that there is landlord responsibility.
We in the Labour Party believe that we have a dysfunctional system of waste collection, both here in Dublin and across many communities in Ireland. Bin companies are getting to drive by illegally dumped bags or burst bags strewn all over the ground. The onus is on residents to report it and the city council has to come and clean up the mess. Ultimately, we have underinvestment in composting and recycling facilities. We believe waste management is a vital public service. It should be about keeping our streets clean and not making a profit. Ultimately, if we are to see greater investment in shared collection points, more recycling, more composting and greater control on resources into waste, we need to change how this work is done and who does it.
The context for this Bill is that yet again household this year are facing even greater bin collection costs. Panda, one of the largest providers in the State, has now raised its cost per bin to €14.75, an increase of 43% in just a two-year period. City Bin provides service to approximately 50,000 households across Dublin and Galway. We saw a 26% increase in just two years in its costs. Greyhound last saw an increase in costs, as we understand it, back in 2024, and no doubt we are going to be seeing changes to those costs over the coming weeks.
Two years ago, waste collection companies threatened this Government with price hikes because of the return scheme. They said that because the State was, in effect, taking away a very profitable aspect of their business, which is the collection of recyclable plastics, their bottom line was going to suffer and, ultimately, the householder was going to suffer because of an increased cost imposed by these companies. This is coming home to roost. We are now seeing that happen with householders.
I acknowledge there are additional challenges, such as there no longer being opportunity to export beyond the EU borders. There are increased costs for waste collection companies, but that is why it is absolutely critical that we have a conversation about how and who delivers waste collection and overall waste management within cities, towns, villages and across this country. We also have the added context of very poor performance with regard to recycling rates in certain areas. For many years, we have slapped ourselves on the back and said we are great as our recycling rates in some parts were above the EU average, but when we look at plastics recycling, Ireland is at 28% relative to a target of 50% in 2025. In municipal recycling and bring centres, Ireland is at only 41% relative to a target of 55%. We have to do better.
The introduction of competition across the waste collection system in the early 2000s promised lower prices and a better service. The reality has played out very differently.