(source: Sme)
Fees for waste landfill will grow significantly, after their adjustment upwards has been suggested in an analysis by the Institute for Environmental Policy (IEP) operating under the Environment Ministry.
The ministry has already incorporated the recommended increase in the draft bill on fees for waste disposal, which is currently being evaluated within an interdepartmental review. The new approach should motivate people to recycle. If they dutifully separate waste, they will not be paying more for waste disposal even after the increase, the Environment Ministry promises as cited by the Pravda daily.
Environment Minister László Sólymos (Most-Híd) talked about the need to increase the charges for landfill last year. He was supported in this by IEP analysts. Based on their analysis ‘How to landfill less’, which was released at the beginning of January, this step will discourage people from throwing all waste into one container.
“To reduce the rate of landfill and increase recycling, we suggest a significant rise in the charges for landfill, to introduce in municipalities a system of fees for municipal waste, making separation more advantageous financially, and to intensify the fight against illegal landfills,” said Martin Haluš, the head and chief economist at the IEP.
Haluš noted that the fees for landfill in Slovakia are currently some of the lowest in the European Union and do not provide the motivation to recycle more.
The current fees for landfill rank between €4.98 and €9.96 per tonne of waste. Municipalities that select plastic, paper, glass, metals and biologically degradable rubbish from the waste pay lower rates. The fees should increase gradually as of 2019 while in 2023 the fee should reach between €16 and €46 per tonne.
