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Fuel surcharge raises many questions

New ‘fuel surcharge’ of 97 cent introduced by Panda Waste

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.
Mon May 04 2026 - 06:00 • 1 MIN READ

Sir, - Panda Waste is imposing a fuel surcharge on customers because rising oil prices are pushing up the cost of running its collection fleet (“Panda Waste set to introduce monthly ‘fuel surcharge’ of 97 cent”, News, May 1st). Fair enough. But there is another side to this story.

Plastic is made from oil. When oil prices rise, so does the cost of making new plastic, which makes recycled plastic more valuable. The oil price spike used to justify a surcharge is simultaneously increasing the value of the recycled material its customers sort and leave out every fortnight.

For a company owned by one of the world’s largest investment funds, that is a hard sell, particularly after bin charges were raised just three months ago. – Yours, etc,

SÉAMUS CONATY,

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[ Panda Waste set to introduce monthly ‘fuel surcharge’ of 97 cent ]