Thousands of Irish households will be hit with extra bin charges from next month in a major blow in the midst of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Customers of Panda Recycling will now be charged every time they empty their brown compost bins.
Previously, having a compost bin emptied was completely free in a bid to encourage composting. However, it will now cost €3.80 every time the brown bin is emptied, according to reports.
READ MORE: RTE's Late Late Show line-up revealed as Ryan Tubridy talks to Hillary Clinton
The charges will come into effect from May 8, The Irish Independent reports.
More than 360,000 customers nationwide will be affected by the new costs as Panda Recycling is one of the biggest recycling companies in Ireland.
This comes less than a year after Panda Recycling increased the general waste bin-lift charges by more than 12 per cent and also hiked its service charges.
Since September last year, the charge for each lift of a general waste bin went up by €1.13 to €10.25 - a rise of 12.4 per cent.
The half-yearly service charge rose by €4.86 to €62.50. That means the annual service charge is now €125, a rise of 8.4 per cent.
There is a charge of 80c for each lift of the recycling bins, plus 0.045c per kg.
The recent price hikes mean that customers are paying around €50 more annually for their waste collection services.
READ NEXT:
Garda killer Stephen Silver sentenced to life in prison for capital murder of Detective Colm Horkan
Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch looks almost unrecognisable out and about in Dublin after bombshell verdict
- Met Eireann predict sunny days before major change could bring back wintry weather
- 'Irish Bear Grylls' Dane Galligan on battling severe depression and anxiety
- Gordon Elliott sends three runners to Cheltenham for first day of April meeting
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
