Panda compost/brown bin

horse7

Panda have increased the cost of the brown bin from 0€ per lift to 3.80€ per lift ,that's 197.60€ increase for a lift for 52 weeks of the year plus the usual service charge and charges for the other bins.

horse7

2023 Pricing

Your Service plan for the coming year effective 8th May 2023 is outlined below:

Half Yearly Service Charge €62.50

240L General Waste Per Lift €10.25

Recycling Per Lift €0.80

Recycling per Kg €0.045

Compost Per Lift €3.80

If you would like to discuss options, please email customercare@panda.ie and one of our agents will be happy to assist you.

About Panda

As Ireland’s largest and most carbon friendly recycling company we have invested extensively in our collection fleet so that your collections are the most environmentally friendly in

horse7

As Panda only collect the bin every second week it's 99€ not the 197€ mentioned previously. Still a huge amount.

Heighway61

Not a direct reply to your post but Panda are just a dreadful company. I would advise to take any other available option.

tvjunki

Those in Fingal area in Dublin have only access to one bin provider and that is Panda. Fingal County Council only gave one licence for house hold waste collection.

Just got notification that they will now charge extra for green (garden waste) . Thought the €120 service charge was to cover the garden waste! Service charge was €110 the year before. 

Oh they did say I could have an extra garden waste bin and recycling bin! How good of them but they will charge per lift!

Oh I forgot to say they started charging per lift and weight for the recycling the year before.

Complaining to Fingal County Council is a waste of time as they are not interested. They are getting money for the one licence they have issued. Panda/green star collect the bins for Fingal offices as well.

tvjunki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478514#Comment_120478514

If you are in Fingal you do not have a choice but to use them.

appledrop

That's not true about only 1 bin company in Fingal, we use Panda but some of our other neighbours use another company, I know because our bins go out on different days depending on company we use.

horse7

It may make no difference but I suggest if like me you are unhappy with these new charges please email and also phone them on Monday. Thanks.

tvjunki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478549#Comment_120478549

Can you please name them so we can check the rates and charges? If they are using for commercial bin collection then they have other options. I contacted 3 companies last year and none would provide bins apart from Panda. (North County Dublin)

appledrop

I actually don't know who other company is.

Never noticed but its definitely not Panda anyway, are you in a new estate or is this some new rule that us just brought in?

Not commercial company just household bins, about half of us use one company around here and half the other.

timetogo1

Greyhound pick up in Swords.

Dr_Colossus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478508#Comment_120478508

I'm in Dublin 15 and got the same email. Massive increase on the brown bin charges.

I've been with Panda for nearly 7 years and thus far found them very reliable. While the service charge increase last year was unwelcome it wasn't extortionate after a number of stable years at €55 every 6 months. The introduction of the recycling charge per lift and per kg prior to that was also unwelcome but somewhat understandable given the change in the market with China no longer importing European waste. Also a per lift charge somewhat dissuades users from unnecessarily putting out bins when not always necessary.

As such I wouldn't be adverse to a reasonable per lift charge for the brown bin but €3.80 in my book is not reasonable. Something more like the recycling lift charge could be appropriate but unlike recycling you can't leave a brown bin fester and mould for weeks on end especially during the warmer summer months. Also is brown bin waste not a revenue generator for companies in the form of compost? Where did they pluck that €3.80 number from and why isn't there an offsetting reduction in the bi-annual service charge?

I will be emailing Panda with a compliant and since City bins are available in my area I'll also be investigating their pricing with the hopes of moving. Worse case scenario I might need to look at a composter and get rid of the brown bin entirely but you can be sure I wouldn't get any reduction in the service charge with that either.

I previously inquired with Panda about getting a 120 litre general waste bin since the per lift charge on the 240 litre bin is so expensive at over €10 but they advised they don't provide that option so it results in trying to compact/compress all such waste and put it out as infrequent as possible.

horse7

Have sent them an email.

BorneTobyWilde

Just how big is the brown bin, what litre is is??? Surely you'd not fill one a week if it was a 140l bin ?

Dr_Colossus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479331#Comment_120479331

120 litre, it's only collected every second week (alternates between brown bin and recycling with general waste every week). With garden trimmings it's very easy fill and previously enquired whether they had a 240 litre option which they didn't. Now with the increased pricing you can get a 2nd bin but you pay on the double for it with the exorbitant lift charges.

xper

So what's the deal here? Panda don't seem to publish their pricing anywhere anymore. Are they now just dreaming up whatever range of price plans will extract maximum payment from their existing customers? Is there no regulation around this?

I've received my new price plan today too:

Quarterly Service Charge         €52.50 

Quarterly General Waste Allowance 105Kg 

General Waste Excess per Kg     €0.30 

Recycling Allowance             Unlimited 

Compost Allowance             Unlimited 

That will be effectively a flat annual charge of €210 for me as I put the black bin out usually only once/qtr. Now some of you might be jealous but as a singleton Im a fairly light user and my annual bill for a much smaller annual charge plus per lift and per kilo charges on all bins was coming to about 140 a year so this is a c.50% increase, well above inflation.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479528#Comment_120479528

I got the same, DLRCC. I have just, yesterday, paid my current invoice which included the annual service charge 27/3/23 to 26/3/24 €90.13.

Then got the email this morning that the services was going to change as per the above but they would give me credit for the amount paid.

Very sharp practice from Panda. They waited until I had paid to change the T&C's. Who regulates this crowd?

Edit: just sent an email complaint to the CCPC

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478542#Comment_120478542

I've seen Greyhound collecting household bins in Fingal

tvjunki

I think Greyhound and Panda are owned by the same group but I could be wrong.

Greyhound provide commercial waste collection for councils. When you go to swords recycling it is greyhound that drops the skips/ bins I. The recycling centre.

tvjunki

Panda provide different rates depending on what County Council the property is in.

Panda has two plans for Fingal. Standard and lite plans. Will see if I can find it. More than likely both have gone up.

greasepalm

Dont know if you can use Bonkers for checking out pricing.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480050#Comment_120480050

I doubt it because Panda do not publish their prices and these prices vary by collection area.

Compost at 3.80 a lift is a bargain. Here's mine...

140L Waste €5.65

140L Recycling €2.65

140L Organic Bin €7.50

25L Glass Free

Service Charge €5.25 per month

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480100#Comment_120480100

Who is that with and where is it?

the_amazing_raisin

Reckon the bees will be thanking panda for all the wild gardens this will result in 😂

cobham

South County Dublin here and this is our new plan

Your Service plan for the coming year effective 1st May 2023 is outlined below:

Quarterly Service Charge                  €52.50

Quarterly General Waste Allowance  105Kg

General Waste Excess per Kg           €0.30

Recycling Allowance                          Unlimited

Compost Allowance                           Unlimited

We had annual charge and per lift and per kilo weight charges previously. We use compost bins in garden so only garden waste into the 'brown bin' and it is too small but cannot have a larger size. We take glass to local bottle banks. Big increase but will have to dig out old bills to itemise.

Suggest change the title of this thread to 'Panda Bins'

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480307#Comment_120480307

DLRCC? It seems that the per lift charge has gone?

What is pissing me off here is that they sent me an invoice on Wednesday with a standing charge of €90.13 up to april 2024, which I paid yesterday. Then got notified after close of business yesterday, when they had my money, of these new increased prices. Very sharp practice which is why I have contacted the CCPC.

I suggest others would do the same!

AndrewJRenko

I'm in DLR area and got no notification of any increase from Panda.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480840#Comment_120480840

Got mine yesterday after paying the invoice. Did you pay yours yet?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480948#Comment_120480948

I'm on a monthly direct debit, though I've just noticed they didn't charge me in March for some reason. I'll check with them on Monday.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480240#Comment_120480240

Likely to be a massive uptick in home composting also.

If you do go down that route - no cooked food or raw meat unless you actually like rats; and you may need to do stuff like layering in newspaper if you are adding lots of grass clippings. The week that my bin company added brown bins I stopped doing it; and would probably stay stopped even if they brought in a reasonable charge; but if it was by weight I'd be going back. Or paving both gardens.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482470#Comment_120482470

Yeah our brown bin is mostly food waste and grass cuttings when I give the lawn it's semi-annual cut

We were putting it out every collection day, that'll be stopping now. Could probably go 6 weeks between lifts so 6-7 lifts a year isn't too bad

Tbh I don't find this very surprising, waste charges have been static for years and having charges on waste can encourage more efficient behaviour

It also tends to increase illegal dumping however, so definitely a double edged sword

Frankly it's a little hypocritical to point the finger at consumers for producing waste when there's not always much choice.

Buying food from the supermarket for example, everything is in plastic packaging with very little loose goods and no reusable containers

I can't help but wonder if supermarkets got taxed on packaging if that would suddenly have more of an effect on waste. Bit like an expansion to the plastic bag charge

L1011

Pre-pack fruit and veg in supermarkets basically needs to stop, entirely and immediately. I have noticed that the worst excesses - e.g. apples being sold in polystyerene trays wrapped in clingfilm like they were when I was a kid - seems to be mostly gone; but bags of carrots and so on have to go. Its utterly pointless and its 100% at the behest of the supermarkets that it's sold that way - to save a few seconds at the checkout.

I do most of my veg shopping in a greengrocer that just stopped even offering plastic bags a few years ago - they used to have bags for when you were pciking and bigger bags for when you paid. It makes checkout a tiny bit slower; and some people do still have to ask for a bag when they pay; but I have a decent amount of cloth bags so there should always be at least one in the car; when they get a bit manky they go in the wash with other stuff. Probably stopped hundreds of flimsy plastic bags going to, at best, incineration since they did that.

cobham

Yes DLR area of S County and yes we just paid the annual charge at last bill. So I suppose that means we are contracted to Panda for coming year?Strange to see the per lift charge go? I will be putting out not 'stuffed full' bins so... and per kilo? I was encouraged to put packaging that may not be recycled (paper and plastic??) into the Green bin to save paying the higher weight charge of Black bin. Our last bill was 184 euro for year up to March.... small household and all kitchen waste to compost bins in garden

Rollercoaster

Although I don't typically fill my brown bin to the brim between collections, I've noticed that even when it's only half or a quarter full, it can still emit unpleasant odors in the summer and attract unwanted pests like flies and vermin.

That's why I remember being advised to put the brown bin out for every collection, to prevent these issues from becoming a bigger problem. Since there was no fee for the compost bin collection, it made sense to follow this advice and put it out regularly.

I've personally submitted an email objection to the new charge for each lift of the brown bin, and I would strongly encourage others to do the same in writing. Let's make our voices heard!

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120486124#Comment_120486124

I've taken to using the compostable bags from Aldi for food waste, cuts down on the smells a lot and doesn't attract as many vermin

I'd say a bucket of water with a bit of bleach thrown into the bin every so often would help with the bad smells

On the topic of bin charges, as I've said I'm not against them in principle but a static charge for the brown bin is pretty cheeky. I would have thought pay by weight would have made a lot more sense

I really think the way bin collection has been privatised in Ireland is an utter failure. I don't mind private companies doing the collection or sorting, but why couldn't the county council contract the collection directly and then just charge residents an agreed amount per lift?

Right now in my area we've got Panda coming one day and Greyhound coming the next day. That's double the number of bin trucks and double the fuel usage for the same area, someone please tell me how that's supposed to be more environmentally friendly

Problem seems 10 times worse in Dublin City where there seems to be a different waste company on every street

And given that pretty much every waste company has been busted at some point for illegal dumping or abusing migrant labourers (or both) then I can't see how anyone can point at the whole situation and call it a success

tvjunki

This is on Pandas website but you have to dig for it and put in an address to see the price plans. Find it https://www.panda.ie/plan/waste-only/

Waste   1-3 households    4+ households

Monthly price     --    €22.50

Service charge   €125.00    --

Discount    €30.00    €22.50

Estimated annual bill   €210.00    €247.50

Monthly waste allowance   n/a    65kg

Waste excess per kg       €0.28

Cost per lift   €10.25   

Recycling allowance   n/a    Unlimited

Recycling cost per lift   €0.80   

Recycling cost per kg   €0.04   

Compost allowance   Unlimited    Unlimited

Compost per lift   €3.80   

Panda sell the brown waste to the Energia Group. This was in the Independant Mar 2019.

Energia Group has signed a €50m bioenergy agreement with waste-management group Panda.

Energia will convert 70,000 tonnes of Panda organic waste collected from black and brown bins from across the Dublin area into electricity at its soon-to-be commissioned Huntstown Bioenergy Plant.

Panda - a subsidiary of the Beauparc waste management group - will begin supplying organic waste to Energia in June when the new plant begins its commissioning phases.

horse7

I've been with Panda since they took over from greyhound, over 10 years, I can't recall the original contract , I usually pay when I get the bill every six months, any idea when the contract ends?

tvjunki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120488763#Comment_120488763

You might be better to contact them directly and ask. We pay service charge in Jan and June and bin lifts paid on demand(few days after lift). 12 month contract starts in Jan.

I emailed to complain about the charge and got an automated response that a member of staff will contact us but could take up to one working day.

A few years ago they were going lift and charge per weight and there was uproar. They are gradually introducing the charges. First increase the 6 monthly service charge and then pay per weight for green bin and lift charge of the bin. Now the brown bin and lift charge of the brown bin.

horse7

The compost bin is used to make compost and as such there is a significant cost to dealing with this material. The charge does not cover the cost of this rather it contributes towards it. No other market in Ireland for customers on this service type does not include a charge on the brown bin and this has been delayed for a considerable time.

Kind Regards

signature_177665859 signature_935275345 signature_526402516

Sarah

Residential Customer Care

T: 01 829 8992

A: Panda Head Office, Beauparc, Business Park, Navan, Co Meath, C15 P586

W: www.panda.ie E: customercare@panda.ie

This is the standard reply from Panda. Do you have a pdf of the contract?

Mebuntu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479528#Comment_120479528

I received the same plan offer but anyone who is offered this plan and has only very light usage should be careful about accepting. Friends of mine have been offered a much different plan with an ANNUAL Service Charge of €90 which is the same as I paid last year plus lift/weight charges (see below). I checked back my actual lifts and weights for last year using this plan and it comes to €167, (€12 more than last year but quite some saving over a flat €210)

Yearly Service Charge.....90.00

General Waste per lift.......4.35

General Waste per Kg.......0.31

Recycling per lift.............1.30

Recycling per Kg.............0.065

Compost per lift..............3.08

Compost per Kg..............0.188

EDIT: This is in DLR.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120484027#Comment_120484027

You wouldn't be contracted for the coming year as they changed the pricing and t&C's. However with Panda, good luck with getting the money refunded.

Seems strange that they dropped the per lift charge in DLR. Just listening on Newstalk to the outrage in other areas, on the imposition of a lift charge on compost bins.

cobham

They say also

Shortly after the 1st May, we will apply a credit/payment of 70.92 to your account in unused service charge previously paid. This will be discounted from your next invoice.

Mebuntu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120495310#Comment_120495310

Seems strange that they dropped the per lift charge in DLR.

They haven't in every case. The plan I mention in post #41 above is in DLR.

Larbre34

My parents are ~80 and though on good pensions are not stupid with money.

They would perhaps only put out a full black bin twice a year and use the local recycling centre in DLR weekly to take whatever green waste they have and so put the green bin out only occasionally too.

The received the proposed change in pricing structure, as outlined in posts above to begin in May, in the post two days ago, 52.50/Q etc.

Considering they had paid €77 p.a. in January to cover the basic charge for the whole year, they were less than impressed, and so Panda inadvertently unleashed onto themselves my Mother in full battle mode, a sight that despite her gently advancing age, had become no less awesome in all the time I've known her.

The main thrust of her argument was, than despite economic inflation of say 10% and even allowing for sectoral rates being a bit higher, their proposed increase of 173% amounted to thievery and that the Directors of Panda really ought to explore methods of engaging in copulation with themselves.

Although it took about 45 minutes on the phone, she completed the call having had her annual rate reduced to that already paid and with a €50 credit to be applied to her account by way of an apology for any upset caused.

So, despite their appalling practice and customer service, theres the precedent folks, nobody should just accept paying what is being notified to people now, phone them, get it reversed and make sure to humiliate Panda as a brand anytime you get the chance, because they need to catch a grip on reality.

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120495969#Comment_120495969

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120495999#Comment_120495999

Considering they had paid €77 p.a. in January to cover the basic charge for the whole year

I paid €90 for the year to April 2024 last week. They seem to be making up different plans for individual households! Neither is pricing very transparent on their website.

Tarabuses

What are the new rates for DLR with Panda? I received no notification of increase.

thomas 123

Genuine question - does the brown stuff go in a seperate compartment? I find it mad that a truck has 3 compartments for the 3 bins.

A Law

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120497055#Comment_120497055

Each colour bin is collected by a different truck.

thomas 123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120497125#Comment_120497125

Ah, I live in the countryside and have just general and recycling and it goes in the one truck - I’ve assumed they have split compartments but had yet to see one with 3 compartments.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120490449#Comment_120490449

I pay Thorntons by weight of my black bin only - brown and green are not charged.

Thorntons also give the produced compost away!

Lots of other minor issues with them so they're not idea, but this claim that everyone else pays for brown bins is untrue.