Local authorities across the State have "fallen down" in communicating clearly to householders why they must pay for private refuse collection services, the director of consumer affairs has said.
Ms Carmel Foley said her office received many complaints about refuse charges. Many were lodged earlier this year following the euro changeover. "I think there is understandable anger by people given that it all happened together in some places. People blamed the euro when it had nothing to do with it," she said.
County councils, she said, should have been more proactive in explaining to people why they had to pay now.
Her comments come as Wicklow residents complain of increased charges for waste collection in plastic bags outside homes in the north and north-east of the county. The bags cost €30 for 10 at the end of last month and went up to €40 from the beginning of this month. The company, Noble, collects waste from 10,000 households in Wicklow.
Noble's manager, Mr Damien Quinn, said landfill charges had increased and also the company noticed that the weight of plastic bags it was collecting had increased dramatically. It expected bags to be an average weight of about 15 kg but they now averaged out at 25 kg. A price review followed, he said.
Mr Michael Nicholson, director of Environmental Services with Wicklow County Council, said there were a number of private waste operators in the county, which meant "healthy competition". He wasn't surprised to hear the increased charges might be passing on to householders.
The charges increased by €19 a tonne to €127 from the beginning of last month, with the increased levy going to the Department of the Environment to fund recycling initiatives.