The decision by officials at Mayo County Council to impose a charge for recycling is a backward step, which undermines local democracy and discourages recycling, says Westport Labour Councillor Keith Martin.
“This new charge is an attack on local democracy and the less well off. Among those this new stealth tax will hit are the unemployed, low-income families and the retired, who use the council's recycling centres in an effort to keep their household bills down,” he said.
Cllr Martin was the sponsor of a recent motion by Westport Town Council, which called on Mayo County Council to abandon its plans to introduce charges for recycling at Derrinumera and Rathroeen civic amenity centres.
However at the July meeting of Mayo County Council, council officials pressed ahead with these plans and shortly charges of €2 per car and €5 per van will be introduced at the centres.
The officials are invoking the new charges using their powers under Section 4 of the Act, which provides that the making of a waste management plan will become an executive (management ) function, a change from the Waste Management Act 1996, where the power was a reserved (elected member ) function.
“This is a bypassing of local democracy; whereby the decision should be one for the elected members of Mayo County Council, not the officials who are unaccountable to anyone except central government.
“I predict that this new charge will result in a decline in recycling and an increase in illegal burning of waste and recyclables and an increase in fly-tipping. The polluter should pay; the recycler should not, it's a simple as that. The cost of living is now sky high and we have councillors and officials introducing another stealth tax on hard-pressed families,” concluded Cllr Martin.
