Ask 9. Competition in the waste collection market

Introduction

Ireland’s household waste collection market does not work like a typical competitive market and does not work for consumers. Analysis conducted by the CCPC in 2018 found that Ireland’s side by side household waste collection market is unique in Europe. There are increasingly fewer companies and this provides limited incentives for companies to innovate or improve standards.

The CCPC’s analysis found overlapping collection routes, uneven availability of providers across different areas, and significant variation in choice. In practice, this means that while some households may be able to choose between providers, others have limited or no choice at all.

What we see in other European countries is strong State-led control and regulation of waste services. Many use tender competitions to ensure a level of control over waste collection while still  create competition for the market. This way they deliver society’s requirements for widespread coverage, recycling targets and affordable pricing.

Why it matters

The report the CCPC published in 2018 showed that side by side competition in the waste market wasn’t working, that companies were likely to merge, reducing competition, and that the waste market was not working well for consumers, the State or the companies.

Since then, the CCPC has permitted several mergers in the sector but required the companies to sell some parts of their business to maintain competition. This situation is not going to improve, particularly as it is unlikely that new companies will emerge. That is why the CCPC believes the waste market needs a regulatory solution.

How we can do this

The waste market needs policy and regulatory reform.

In 2018, we recommended the establishment of an independent economic regulator for household waste collection. That regulator should help determine the most appropriate market structure for the sector and support market design, economic licensing and improved sector data.

Reform should also support a move away from multiple companies competing for a single household’s business and instead towards competitive tendering for a market.

Any such reform should be overseen by an economic regulator and accompanied by enforceable consumer protections, a clear complaints route and transparent performance data.

Further reading

CCPC report, The Operation of the Household Waste Collection Market (2018)

Opinion piece by CCPC Chair Brian McHugh, published April 2025