Waste Management Bye Laws FAQ

Waste Bye Laws require every household in the given county to register with a permitted waste collection provider. The charging method for Waste collection must be based on the weight of waste collected. You therefore only pay for the amount of waste you generate.

Start date for Pay By Weight in Leitrim is 1st of December 2014, As of February 3rd, a dual system of Pay By Weight and Bag/Tag waste collection will be in operation.

Start date for Pay By Weight in Sligo is February 3rd 2014.

Every Household in Leitrim have to use this service. “Leitrim Co. Co. have passed Bye Laws that state 5.1(1) The owners of houses, apartment blocks and management companies on a refuse collection route serviced by a permitted collector shall register annually with one of the collectors servicing their area for the provision of a Pay By Weight wheeled refuse bin service(Black, Blue and Brown bin.”

We insert a microchip in each bin which has your account number matched to the chip and an onboard weighing system recognises your bin and assigns the weight to your account. The bin gets weighed on the way up and down and your net weight is the difference between the two.

• To allow a more accurate record of waste disposal, identifying those who aren’t properly disposing of waste
• To assist in meeting EU targets for the diversion of recyclable and biodegradable waste from landfill
• To promote better segregation of waste and lead to a decrease in the amount of household waste going to landfill.
• Leitrim County Council say that the existing system of waste collection in Co. Leitrim is simply unsustainable. Read Leitrim Observer article here.

The more that is recycled and composted, the less the cost to the householder. The Pay by Weight system will allow households determine their waste collection costs.
Below is a cost comparison, comparing the traditional Tag system with the new Pay by Weight system in terms of the average annual cost:
Current Tag System Estimated Cost Breakdown

New Pay By Weight System Estimated Cost Breakdown

An average family of four generates 30kgs of general waste on a fortnightly basis and the average weights of a recycling and brown bin are 12kgs and 5kgs respectively. On the old tag system, it cost €13.00 to lift the waste bin and €6.00 for recycling, totalling €19.00 per lift for two bins.

On the new Pay by Weight system, you only pay for what you throw away. Your new fortnightly cost will be €11.29, based on the kg costs of 22 cent per kg for waste bin collections and 8 cent for recycling and compost.

“A family can save over €15 per month”

The same comparative can be applied to a household with two people. The average fortnightly waste generated by a two person household is 15 kgs of general waste, 6kgs of recyclable waste and 2.5 kgs of compostable waste. Based on the same kg costs of 22 cent per kg for waste and 8 cent for recycling and compost, your cost per lift is now only €7.31 on a fortnightly basis or €14.62 on a monthly basis.

“A couple can save almost €12 every two weeks”

For more information or to sign up to Barna Recycling Pay By Weight Services please contact us today on 0818 287 010.

On the Barna Recycling Pay As You Go package you pay a service charge of €20 per quarter. This service charge ensures that a collection truck passes your home on a fortnightly basis to check if you have bins left out for collection. It also covers any bin repairs  that arise from time to time.

• Choose the Barna Recycling Plan that’s right for you. Click here to view detailed plans
• Sign up online here or call us on 0818 287 010
• Your bins will be chipped so the collection truck can accurately measure the weight
• You’ll receive quarterly weight statements detailing the weight of each lift

By weighing the bins you only pay for the amount of waste you produce as disposal costs are based on weight and not volume.

Trucks start at 5.30am so we request that you leave your bins out the night before collection.

Our Trucks are split to take Waste in one side and Recycling in the other.

On a quarterly basis we will send you the total waste you produced in each waste category so you can take steps to control the amount you produce.

All food types both cooked and un-cooked. The bin can be lined with a Compostable liner or old newspaper to help keep it clean. A full list will be provided in the welcome pack.

We supply a collection Calendar with your welcome pack or it can be downloaded from our website.

Payment can be made by Direct Debit, Cheque, Debit or Credit Card. As our charges are recurring monthly it is possible to pay 6 monthly or yearly in advance also.

Some people do not have bank accounts but do have post office accounts for collecting payments. It is possible for them to pay through the post office system, by Postal order or An Post payment system.

The standard size of our bin is 240L for both Waste & Recycling. We use a 25L Caddy for the food waste. If you have insufficient capacity in 1 Caddy we will gladly supply a second one for your Food waste.

Your weight is accumulated each quarter and you only pay an excess if you go over the maximum weight. You will be credited in the next billing period for any unused Black bin weight allowance.

In the unlikely event that your bins are stolen a replacement charge of €40 per bin will apply.

Please call our office to discuss the frequency of occupation and we will offer a plan to suit your individual waste needs.

You are obliged to have a Brown bin for Food Waste and present it for collection on a fortnightly basis. Not all food waste can go in Garden Composters i.e. cooked food items.

To reduce odour problems, Compostable (NOT Biodegradable ) bags are available for purchase in our office and some shops; however, to avoid this cost, you can simply wrap organic items in old newspapers before placing them in the Brown bin. Also, wash the bin following collection of waste and this will ensure avoidance of odour and nuisance issues.

This is a requirement under the Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009 and also the European Union (Household Food Waste & Bio-waste) Regulations 2013. Apart from legislation, the reason we collect this waste type on a fortnightly basis is to ensure the waste undergoes the best possible treatment at our composting facility. It is more difficult to compost this waste type if it is left too long before collection. The odor greatly increases after two weeks.

Householders are obliged to register with a Registered Waste Collector. We will provide you with the appropriate bins which will be micro-chipped for recording and payment process. Bags and Tags cannot be used to present waste after 1st February 2014.

Under the new Waste Presentation Bye-Laws 2013, you are required to register annually with a permitted waste collector for the provision of a pay by weight black bin, blue bin and brown bin service. This will be a requirement of owners of all holiday houses, apartment blocks/complexes and management companies.