can't get elderly waste charge waiver with alternative collector

Hi

The elderly can avail of a 'standing charge waiver' of €80 / year with the councils waste collection service in Dublin. However if you change to an alternative waste collector this waiver is unavailable. This seems to suggest that the waiver is granted directly by the council and not by social welfare etc.

So my question is... is the councils waste collections charges higher for everybody because everybody subsidises the elderly? Is this fair (on the non elderly)?

This removes the choice as regards waste collection from the elderly... and gives alternative waste collectors an unfair advantage over the council.

Any thoughts?

Cheers
Joe

The waiver for old age pensioners is subject to a social welfare means test & only a small % of o.A.P.'s qualify.

OK, even if that is the case, it appears as if the waiver is only available to people who use a particular service... like why can't the social welfare pay the charge on someones behalf to ANY waste collection service rather than saying they will only pay it to the council.

The alternative waste collectors could say that that policy is designed to help the council and to restrict free choice of collector.

The waiver on refuse charges is operated by the Local Authorities, not Dept of Social Welfare. Local Authorities may use the Social Welfare payment rates as guidelines when determining eligibility for a waiver.

As Battyee said, only a percentage of OAPs qualify, because of additional income (e.g. an occupational pension) in addition to the State Pension.

From the Citizens information website:

"In some local authority areas, low-income households can avail of a waiver on waste charges by private refuse operators and local authorities. These waivers vary greatly from region to region and in some areas they are not available at all. To find out if your local authority operates this waiver scheme, you should contact them directly."

In the street where I live none of the oaps pay for their bins and several of them would have more than one pension