A new €10 increase to the landfill levy could see bin charges rising from September.
The increase will see the levy rising from €75 to €85 per tonne.
The charge applies to all municipal waste that is not recycled and is levied on individual waste management companies.
VOICE Ireland CEO Tad Kirakowski told Newstalk Breakfast it remains to be seen whether those companies will pass the cost on to customers.
"The general waste bin is what this is referring to, this fee will actually apply to the waste collection companies," he said.
"It'll be up to them whether they pass it on or how they pass it on to customers.
"The aim of the regulations is to encourage people to segregate their waste more effectively".
Waste recovery levy
The regulations, aimed at encouraging recycling and reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill and incineration, will also see a 'waste recovery levy' of €10 per tonne.
The new €10 charge will apply where waste is sent for incineration or for what's known as ‘backfilling’ - essentially filling in quarries or providing hard surfaces for landfill sites.
The landfill and waste recovery levies will apply to 'black bin' waste, with any monies raised used to promote and support more sustainable waste management practices.
Food waste
Mr Kirakowski said a lot of people are using their black bin as a 'default.'
"There's a lot of waste that's going into the general waste bin, we tend to use it as our default bin," he said.
"Up to 60% of food waste is going into the general waste bin, where most households now have an organic waste bin... and that would be the biggest proportion by weight, I suppose, of your general waste bin.
"There's a lot of really, really good recyclable material that's ending up in the general waste bin".
Mr Kirakowski said there are other ways people can reduce their waste and bin weight.
"That's about reducing the amount of packaging – so, encouraging reusable containers or encouraging buying lose where possible," he said.
"Encouraging better use of packaging or Deposit Return Schemes... In 2024, Ireland will be launching its first Deposit Return Scheme.
"The other way of avoiding waste is, a lot of retailers are offering take-back on their soft plastic packaging.
"We'd encourage people to use that as well; that makes the retailers manage that waste," he added.
Listen back here:
