Social Democrats Spokesperson on Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Cian O’Callaghan has called on the government to establish a waste regulator to oversee price controls for bin collections.
“At the moment, there is absolutely no transparency in the sector. We don’t know who owns many of the companies or what their profits or losses are. It means we have no knowledge of the level of gouging going on or the level of sustainability of the sector.”
Social Democrats Spokesperson on Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Cian O’Callaghan has called on the government to establish a waste regulator to oversee price controls for bin collections.
Cllr O’Callaghan said the government must take heed of the recommendations of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission which are aimed at empowering consumers and breaking up the monopoly of waste collectors.
Cllr O’Callaghan said:
“The competition watchdog is right to highlight the fact that consumers have little or no power to influence the behaviour of operators in the waste collection market.
“Without a regulator in place, it’s clear that the entire sector is in danger of being controlled by a small number of companies. Regulators are in place for insurance, gas, electricity and broadband. While they could do much better, at least there is someone with a remit to stand up for the interests of the consumer and be a recourse of complaint for customers.
“The sector should be regulated by law so that licences are only granted where certain levels of customer service, transparency, waste sorting and affordable pricing are in place. At the moment, there is absolutely no transparency in the sector. We don’t know who owns many of the companies or what their profits or losses are. It means we have no knowledge of the level of gouging going on or the level of sustainability of the sector.”
ENDS
28th September 2018