County Council set to increase Civic Amenity centre charges

Discussions are ongoing to dramatically increase charges at Cork County Civic Amenity Sites from March 1.

The proposed increased charges would see the entry fee rise from a flat charge of €3 to a €20 charge for a commercial-sized van, €10 for a large commercial van, €10 for a double axle trailer and €5 for a single axle trailer.

Domestic waste charges would increase also with a standard bag costing €5 whereas it currently cost €4, a large bag would cost €10 instead of €8 and a wheel bin would cost €15 instead of €12.

Bulky waste would also see hikes with an armchair rising from €10 to €15, a double sofa jumping from €15 to €25, a three-seater sofa increasing from €20 to €30 and carpet increasing from €15 to €30.

A single axle trailer of timber costs €20 but from March 1 it is proposed it should cost €40 and a double axle trailer of timber currently costs €40 and is set to rise to €80.

Mattresses are currently €10 for a single and €20 for a double and are supposed to increase to €15 for a single and €30 for a double.

Food waste will also be hiked if the charges increase goes ahead with a 7l caddy rising from €1 to €2, a 12l caddy jumping from €2 to €4 and a 25l caddy increasing from €4 to €6.

Engine oil, oil filters, and paint, which used to be included in the entry fee, are set to be individually priced from March 1.

Speaking about the proposed increases Carrigaline Fianna Fáil Councillor Seamus McGrath said that while the councillors agreed to some changes at last year’s November budget meeting, no detail on the increases were provided until now and the proposed increases were “not right or fair.” 

Mr McGrath vehemently rejected the change to the entry charge and said the entry cost should not change and increasing the price to simply visit the centre would put people off going.

The Carrigaline Councillor said he understood the 11 Civic Amenity sites were losing money but said it was likey these price hikes would drive people to more frequent usage of bring sites, which are free and serviced by the council.

“I’m not happy with the proposals, these charges are not something I can stand over.” 

Mr McGrath said the staff at the Council’s civic amenity sites had been notifying visitors to the centres about the cost increases and as a result concerns had been raised by County residents regarding the proposed changes to the charges.

Councillors discussed the issue at a Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) meeting earlier this week and will be continuing the debate this Friday on the topic.