Mulleady's service charge increase criticised

Longford Waste Company, Mulleady's Waste Ltd, have faced criticism in recent days over their decision to increase weekly service charges by 92 cents per week. The increased charges were revealed in a letter to customers and the price change will come into effect from March 2.

The news was met with criticism from locals and politicians alike, with Cllr Micheál Carrigy describing the decision to increase the service charges by €50 per year as “unfair”. Cllr Carrigy said the decision is particularly unfair on households making a collective effort to reduce their waste output. He then called on Mulleady's to change their plans to increase service charges, noting that any increase should be made to bin lift charges instead.

“Any increase in charges should be put on the bin lift charge and not against the households who are reducing their waste.” he said.

Mulleady's Waste Ltd, which has been in operation for over 25 years, said in a letter recently addressed to all customers, that they had no alternative but to increase prices due to rising costs facing the company. They also noted that this price increase marked the first price-rise within Mulleady's for over five years.

The company listed increased insurance premiums, utility costs, labour costs and commercial rates as the primary factors behind the decision to increase the weekly service charge, while they also noted that the cost of environmental compliance has risen significantly in recent years.

Other reasons behind the hike include China’s refusal to accept recyclable waste from Ireland and changing legislation from the government, which has forced companies to invest heavily in vehicle weighing systems.

The increased service charge will be debited from Mulleady customer accounts every Saturday, starting on March 2.