Switch from Thornton's to Greyhound for bins, opinions?

I’ve been following this thread with interest. I’m from Newbridge and am also going to get a hike from Thorntons next month.

Now I see they are all at it:

TAKEN from The Independent

Wave of bin hikes feared as thousands of customers hit by increase in collection prices this week
Charlie Weston yesterday at 02:30

Thousands of customers of the largest bin collection company in the State are to be hit with price rises from this week.

Panda Recycling is to hike its prices at levels way above the rate of inflation.

It comes just months after rival Greyhound Recycling imposed price rises for its customers.

Panda, which has 300,000 household and business customers, has told its customers in north Co Dublin it will increase the half-yearly service charge, the general waste per-lift charge, and the recycling per-lift charge. The rises take effect next Saturday.

Similar increases are expected to be announced for Panda’s customers elsewhere in Dublin, and those in Cork, Galway, Meath, Wicklow, Wexford and the other areas where it operates.

The half-yearly service charge is going from €67.50 to €70 from Saturday. This is a 3.7pc rise, at a time when the consumer price index was up by 1.4pc in the year to December.

CONTENT

The general waste per-lift price is ­going up by 14.89pc, from €11.75 to €13.50. The recycling per-lift price goes up by 25pc – 18 times the rate of inflation. It will go from €1 to €1.25 on February 1.

General recycling charges have increased by 50pc for waste companies over the past year

It comes after similar rises this time last year.

Asked why the increases were multiples of the rate of inflation, a Panda spokesperson referred to rising costs.

“We have had to revise our prices to take account of specific areas of increased costs,” they said.

“General recycling charges have increased by 50pc for waste companies over the past year, and we are only ­passing on a portion of this cost to green bin users. The national minimum wage increased by more than 6pc in January, and this has had a knock-on effect on many other salaries, which has also increased costs.”

Panda Recycling said there would be no increase in brown-bin charges for this year, and the pricing structure this year was designed to encourage users to avail of the brown compost bin and the green recycling bin as much as possible.

Panda has made every effort to keep the pricing adjustment as modest as possible

It added the overall charge for customers was increasing by an average of €20 for the year, which equates to an average increase of about 6.5pc.

“Panda has made every effort to keep the pricing adjustment as modest as possible,” it said. The company said it was communicating with its customers in the Fingal area to provide an update on its 2025 service options and pricing, but said there was no update at the moment on pricing in other areas that it operates.

Panda is owned by Beauparc Utilities, which was sold by businessman Eamon Waters to Australian financial services giant Macquarie in 2021. Mr Waters was reported to have received a windfall of about €367m from the €1bn sale.

Meanwhile, Greyhound Recycling has pushed up its prices by €3 a month, with the higher cost taking effect from the start of last November.

The company, which has around 150,000 domestic customers in the Dublin area, blamed “changes in nationwide recycling processes”.

Factors such as disposal fees, levies, and changes in nationwide recycling processes have all contributed to this increase

The price rise is more than 10pc – a multiple of the inflation rate.

“While general inflation has eased, many costs for businesses continue to rise,” Greyhound said in a letter to customers. “Factors such as disposal fees, levies, and changes in nationwide recycling processes have all contributed to this increase.

“Despite our best efforts to absorb most of these rising costs, some adjustments are now necessary to continue providing the high-quality service you expect.

“From November 1, 2024, there will be an additional €2.99 per month on your Greyhound account.

“We fully understand that price ­changes are unwelcome, and we’ve worked hard to minimise the impact on you,” the letter added.

How do You copy a link? This copy & paste is a pain in the ****

I just received an email advising that bins are going up again next year by another €2.50 per month 😕

I’m in Newbridge & also got the same email yesterday. I also think they have brought forward the new year as (afaik) my account started on February 1.
Long time ago I was with AES, but moved to Thorntons as their prices were more favourable. I don’t think Greyhound serve Newbridge, but I’m going to source my refuse collections elsewhere.