The waste collection company, Panda, has announced a new annual charge for green bin collections. Other waste companies will quickly follow the example.
The charge will be set at €21 initially but once introduced will rapidly rise.
Two years ago, the waste collection companies tried to introduce a similar minimum charge but were beaten back by public pressure.
Now they are using the excuse that China has closed its door to plastic collection.
But how could sending materials to China be regarded as genuine re-cycling? The fuel used in the shipping alone constitutes huge waste.
The accumulation of plastic is, undoubtedly, a problem. But it needs to be tackled by measures which immediately ban single-use plastics. The big retail chains should also be forced to move away from plastic wrapping.
Panda, however, is not interested in the plastic problem – it just wants more profit.
It is a private unlimited company – like most the other waste companies. This allows it to keep its accounts secret and prevents the public understanding its operations.
It transfers its profits to an Isle of Man account to avoid paying tax –even though it has contracts from the Irish public authorities
In 2013 it was criticised by the National Consumer Agency for unfairly “exposing consumers to unspecified charges, altering of terms and conditions without a valid reason, and terms not being drafted in plain English”.
Privatisation has meant handing over waste collection to tax dodging companies who continually rip off citizens.
It is time to end this Thatcherite experiment. Waste collection should be brought back into public ownership and paid for through general taxation. The state should invest in proper re-cycling facilities and take measures to stop the big corporation producing tons of plastic waste.
