SINN Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan is calling on his fellow Limerick Dáil deputies to support his party’s motion to prevent green bin waste charges, which come into effect from July.
Former Environment Minister Alan Kelly introduced the new pay-by-weight waste collection scheme for green bins in the last weeks of his ministry. He had previously said that the new waste system would reduce costs for 87 per cent of homeowners.
However, opposition politicians believe it is another stealth tax.
Speaking to the Limerick Post this week, following a protest against the charges outside Leinster House, Deputy Quinlivan said: “Green bin charges are counterproductive. The imposition of the charges will discourage people from recycling household waste and will ensure an increase in the practice of illegal dumping.”
“These ill-conceived charges, which are the result of bad legislation formulated by former Minister Alan Kelly, will also disproportionately affect those who are already struggling to make ends meet.”
Under the new system bins will be weighed, as they are collected. The former Environment Minister is on record as stating that only 4.5 per cent of people will actually face an increase in their bill due to the changes.
But, opposing these charges, Deputy Quinlivan maintains, is a matter of fairness.
“From an environmental perspective, the legislation is dreadful. It is for these reasons that Sinn Féin has tabled a motion on the Dáil order paper which would stop the imminent imposition of these charges should it receive the support of a Dáil majority,” Quinlivan explained.
“I am urging Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to allow the motion to taken at the earliest opportunity and I am calling all Limerick TDs to use their vote to stop these charges in their tracks.”
by Alan Jacques
