Low-income households wrongly sent bin charge bills

UP TO 16,000 low-income households that have sought bin charge waivers from Dublin City Council have been wrongly issued with letters warning them that their waste service may be withdrawn.

The council charges householders an annual fee for waste collection and a “per lift” charge every time they present their bin for collection. However, it also operates a waiver system where households with a total weekly net income of less than €600 per week pay the per lift charge only.

The waiver runs from January to January and those in receipt of a waiver must reapply every year. The council said it has yet to process 16,000 applications for 2011 waivers due to the large volume of people who are now seeking a waiver of the annual standing charge.

However, while some or all of these applicants may be entitled to a waiver, they are now receiving letters demanding payment of both the per-lift and the standing charges.

The letters inform householders who have not paid their standing charges that they are in arrears and are in danger of having their waste collection service withdrawn.

The number of waiver recipients remained static since 2005, at about 38,000-39,000. However, last year the council saw a jump in claimants to more than 41,000, just over half of whom are pensioners. By April this year the council had received 22,000 applications.

A message on the council’s waste charge payment phone line states that those who have applied for a waiver and have received a notice that there are outstanding charges on their accounts should ignore the notice if they have paid their standing charge.

“People can either pay the bill as it is and we’ll adjust it accordingly if they are entitled to the standing charge waiver, or else if they know they are entitled to the waiver they can just pay for the lift charges,” a spokeswoman for the council said.

However, changes to the waiver system, introduced this year, have caused considerable confusion among applicants.

Previously all social welfare dependent households were entitled to a waiver. But last March, the council decided to introduce income limits on claimants after an analysis of qualifying applicants found that some waiver recipients had total household incomes of more than €1,000 per week.

Applicants are only now entitled to a waiver if the sole income of the household is a Department of Social Protection allowance or pension not exceeding €600 net per week, or the total household earnings are tax exempt and do not exceed €600 net per week.