Another waste firm ups rates after China’s rubbish ban

ANOTHER bin company has announced it is increasing its charges as a result of China’s decision to stop accepting recycling waste from abroad.

The City Bin Company will hit customers with an additional monthly service cost of €1.90 – following an increase in the price of recycling material from green bins in recent months.

In a letter to customers, City Bin Company said that the cost to the firm of disposing of green bin rubbish has quadrupled in a year.

‘Until now, we have absorbed these costs in the hope that this trend would be reversed but there’s no end in sight,’ the company said. ‘So, unfortunately, we need to add €1.90 to your monthly service charge.’

The firm added that there would be no dedicated charge for the green bin on top of the increased service charge.

The company said: ‘These price changes, starting from April 1, are driven by factors outside our control and impact every waste company.

‘Maximising the use of your green and brown bins remains a cheaper and greener alternative to using your grey bin.’

The City Bin Company has more than 50,000 customers in Dublin and Galway.

This week, Panda Recycling announced it would be charging for collecting green bins for the first time. It will charge 80c per lift and 4.5c per kilogramme to collect, process and transport recyclables for its 250,000 customers.

The new charge will be introduced from April 19.

The general manager of Panda Recycling, Des Crinion, said charging for green bin collections will help Ireland continue to recycle.

Mr Crinion told RTÉ’s Today With Seán O’Rourke radio show that China’s ban on plastic imports had ‘completely crashed the market’.