It is ironic that Mayo County Council is marking National Recycling Week by introducing charges for recycling at its two Civic Amenity Centres according to Labour's Cllr Keith Martin.
Mayo County Council has introduced a €2 charge per car and €5 charge per van for recycling at its Derrinumera and Rathroeen amenity centres. Repak National Recycling Week runs from October 6th to 12th.
According to Cllr Martin there is no justification for the charges as in the last year alone Mayo County Council received €128,800 in November 2007 and €184,900 in December 2007 to offset recycling charges.
"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. Worse again they have brought in these grants just at the beginning of National Recycling Week.
"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. Mayo County Council can send out all the PR it wants about recycling but the truth is their new charges are undermining the habit of recycling."
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