Mayo County Council receives hundreds of thousands to offset recycling charges

Cllr Keith Martin has received information from the Minister of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government which shows that since 2003 Mayo County Council has received grants totaling €1,181,000 to offset the costs of recycling using bring banks and the two Civic Amenity sites.

 

In the last year alone Mayo County Council received €128,800 in November 2007 and €184,900 in December 2007.  The grants for the Civic Amenity Centres are computed by formula which takes into account tonnage and net operating costs.

 

Cllr Martin contends that this makes a "sham of the council's justification for the introduction of charges to recycle at the Derrinumera and Rathroeen amenity centres.  Mayo County Council received recycling grants of  €313,700 last year alone.

 

"We should not forget that Mayo County Council sells on to companies much of the recycled waste such as aluminium cans, paper and cardboard thus offsetting the costs of the centres even more.

 

"Since 2006 Mayo County Council has also received grants totalling €109,563 to offset the operational costs of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) scheme and in December 2007 Mayo County Council received €60,637 under WEEE.

 

"The fact that the grants take into account the amount recycled to cover increase use means that the busier the centres are the more money Mayo County Council receives to offset recycling charges.  Last year Mayo County Council received a total including the WEEE grant of €374,337 to run recycling in Mayo.  These grants coupled with the income from the sale of recycled materials should cover the cost of recycling in Mayo and I think it is disgraceful that Mayo County Council has pressed ahead and introduced recycling charges.

 

"I believe the polluter should pay and not the recycler.  I believe that any difference between the costs of recycling and these grants and revenue generated should be met by an increase in waste disposal fees and not by hitting recyclers with a stealth tax which is in effect a tax on recycling and a deterrent to recycling. 

 

 

"The majority of people using these recycling centres are low income families and the retired who have decided to take charge of their own waste disposal and recycling needs.  These are the people who will be hit the hardest by these fees.  Fees which I think are unjustified given the amount of money being provided by the Dept of the Environment."

 

 

086 0691182

 

SEE LETTER BELOW

Please Quote Ref: REP4844/JG/08

20 August 2008

Email: kmartin@cllr.westporttc.ie


Dear Cllr. Martin

I have been asked by Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the
Environment, Heritage and Local Government to respond to your recent
email in connection with funding provided by the Department for the
running costs of civic amenity sites in Mayo.

Since 2003, Mayo County Council has received operational grants
amounting to €1,181,000 under nine rounds of allocations to assist in
offsetting the operational costs of running bring banks and civic
amenity sites as follows:

Bring Banks                                     €296,330
Civic Amenity Sites                             €884,670

Payments which have been made to Mayo County Council under this Scheme
in the last 12 months are as follows: €128,800 on 8/11/07 and €184,900
on 19/12/07. I regret that a breakdown per civic amenity site is not
available. The grant for civic amenity sites is computed by formula. The
formula takes into account combined weighted tonnage and net operating
costs submitted by the Council every six months.


Since 2006, the Council has also received grants totalling €109,563 to
offset the operational costs of taking back household Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). One payment has been made to Mayo
County Council under this Scheme in the last 12 months for €60,637 on
19/12/07.

I hope you find the above information useful.

Yours sincerely,


____________
Eddie Kiernan,
Private Secretary