Irish households pay different amounts for their waste collection depending on where they live.
There are over 50 different household door-to-door waste collection companies who compete for customers and set their own prices.
Our investigation will gather data on the private waste collection market to see what people are paying around the country.
WHAT YOUR FUNDING SUPPORTS
Unlike many EU countries, Ireland’s waste disposal system is private. There is no uniform pricing structure and local authorities generally do not have control over how private waste collectors operate.
In 2023, a Dublin councillor called the city “the wild west” and added that “nowhere in the rest of Europe is there such a feeding frenzy to provide this private service”.
We will use data analysis to find the most expensive markets and figure out which companies are charging the highest rates for their services.
Within the market, there are also fears of local monopolies in some areas and oversupply in others, poor collection performance and inefficiency with multiple bin trucks driving up the same street on collection days.
We will investigate these issues and also examine which parts of the country are underserved by the private market.
Want to see this investigation happen? Click the 'Fund This Proposal' button.
You can contact us at [email protected] and find out how we work here. Our investigations are sourced from and crowdfunded by the public.