December 2019 data – There was minimal price fluctuation across residential waste collection firms in December.
The December price data is based on analysis conducted across licensed residential waste collection firms. This comprises 19 individual companies, with some firms operating in more than one area. In total, 26 markets are actively monitored.
Pricing landscape for residential waste collection is complex
A majority of the residential waste collection firms offer multiple waste collection packages to their customers. This results in significantly more waste collection packages than firms. Additionally, on a month-by month basis, some of the firms add and remove various waste collection packages or move specific pricing up and down in an apparent market testing exercise. However, over the last 6 months, the overwhelming picture is of a market that remains very stable from a pricing perspective.
In December, there was no change in the total number of price packages which stands at 8. Examples of price packages include: Service charge plus per kg weight charge; E-tag and other options. The total number of waste collection price packages across all of the monitored firms is 49, a decrease of one from the previous month (a full breakdown of all service offers is included in the data part of this report).
Where prices did change
December price variations are as follows:
- Service Provider D – Decreased the monthly service charge from €25.83 to €19.08 - (Service charge including weight allowance plus per KG charge for excess weight above allowance). This change returns this firm's pricing to what it reported in October.
- Service Provider O – Decreased the recycling per KG charge from 4.5cent to 4 cent – (Service Charge plus Charge per Lift per Bin plus per KG Excess Charge).
- Service Provider F – Decreased the service charge from €25.80 to €23.17 - (Service Charge plus Weight Band Charge).
- Service Provider N – Reduced the waste bin lift allowance from 43.3 kg to 35.83 per lift based on an allowance of 215 kg over a 3-month period.
Communication of price data
During the December price monitoring campaign, firms provided price information without issue.
Public Consultation on a Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy
The Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment are currently seeking views on a new Waste Action Plan for Ireland as part of the move to a more circular economy. Consumer protection and market monitoring is one of a number of topics on which the Department would welcome the views of the public, the consultation period closes on 21st February. The consultation can be found here
Why information is anonymised
The purpose of the Price Monitoring Group is to establish and track whether the prices householders pay for the collection of household waste fluctuates and if so, by how much. It does this by using a mystery-shopping approach to a proportion of licensed waste collection firms. However, since price monitoring is not carried out on a whole-of-market basis, it is not in a position to publish names of those firms that are actively monitored.
Composition of the PMG
The group comprises representatives from:
- Waste Policy & Resource Efficiency Division
- An economist from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment,
- A statistician from the Central Statistics Office.
- Shelfwatch – an independent price monitoring group and
- Frank Conway, (MoneyWhizz) – independent consumer expert.
To date, the Price Monitoring Group has met on twenty-nine separate occasions: 13th September 2017, 11th October, 14th November, 12th December, 9th January 2018, 13th February, 13th of March, 10th April, 14th, May, 20th June, 17th July, August 14th, September 11th, October 16th, November 14th, December 11th 2018, January 15th 2019, February 12th, March 14th, April 9th , May 14th June 11th, July 9th, August 20th 2019, September 10th, 2019, October 8th 2019, November 12th 2019, December 16th 2019 and January 22nd 2020.
The monthly analysis data can be found on the Department's website here
