The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government is to meet with representatives from the waste industry tomorrow over growing concerns that bin charges will rise from next month.
Minister Simon Coveney said new regulations, due to come into effect on 1 July, were meant to lead prices reductions for householders who manage their waste and not the opposite.
He indicated that he would have frank discussions with industry representatives tomorrow.
He added that if the Government needs to act they will do whatever is needed to ensure price reductions happen.
The announcement comes after Fianna Fáil warned of a "difficult summer" if action is not taken over the new pay-by-weight waste system.
Speaking in the Dáil, Fianna Fáil spokesman on Expenditure and Reform Dara Calleary said former environment minister Alan Kelly had promised that the new system would lead to lower billing, but "87% of people now appear to be paying more".
He said people are being "hammered" by companies who are exploiting the lack of Government action on the issue and said it may lead to a situation where waste will be disposed of illegally.
Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald said the Government is concerned by the developments.
Ms Fitzgerald said the principle of reduce and re-use was built into the system and it was never meant to lead to increases but was intended to give households more control of their waste bills.
Last month the Government cancelled plans to introduce a pay-by-weight system for green bin waste, which was part of the new nationwide system.
Minimum charges were specified with 11c per kg for black/grey bin waste, 6c for brown bin and 2c for green bin.
Some companies did warn that the decision by Minister Simon Coveney to scrap green bin charges would lead to a rebalancing of the charging system.
But public representatives such as Social Democrat deputy Roisin Shortall, have claimed that waste companies are exploiting the changes.
Thorntons have introduced a weekly service fee working out at €104 a year compared to the previous standing fee of €50 a year.
City Bin customers have complained that their standing charges have increased by 30%.
And Greyhound will have a standing charge of €169 a year meaning a €100 increase for customers who were previously on a waiver system.
Customers then pay by weight - City Bin charge brown bins waste at 20c per kilo and black at 30c while Thornton's charge 20c for Brown and 35 for Black.
The Green Party, People Before Profit/Anti-Austerity Alliance, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin all opposed the introduction of green bin charges.
Mr Coveney said at the time that it made sense to apply charge by weight for black/grey and brown bins but the "polluter pays" principle should not be applied to a recycle bin.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil this morning that Sinn Féin senators would propose a motion to annul the new regulations and accused Fianna Fáil of being the facilitators of "this incompetence".
She gave an example of a woman facing an increase of more than €150 a year and another of a pensioner facing a 238% increase, who she said told her that she would either have to go without food or burn her rubbish.
Ms Fitzgerald said if the new regulation is being abused by private companies, the minister responsible would take action.
She said the Government is not introducing the charge, but companies were taking advantage of the legislation to change the standing charge, and if necessary legislation will be introduced to ensure the system was not being abused.
She said 40% of companies were previously charging by weight, and if the new system is being exploited this would be dealt with.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett told RTÉ’s News At One that people are furious and outraged over the pay-by-weight system.
He said it is unacceptable and unsustainable.
Mr Boyd Barrett said it is the inevitable and predicted result of the statutory instrument approved by former minister for the environment Alan Kelly.
He said caps should have been imposed and that private companies are only concerned with the "bottom line".
He called on the Government to support a motion which would result in immediate action by the minister and the imposition of maximum charges that private companies can charge.
Waste companies yet to comment on waste charges
Meanwhile the Irish Waste Management Association which represents some of the recycling companies has yet to respond to criticism of the new pay by weight system.
But the association has said it is prohibited from commenting on matters of pricing.
Individual companies have also declined to comment publicly on the controversy over increases in standing charges.
Kevin Swift regional waste coordinator for the Connaught/Ulster region says there appears to be come correction in the market with prices in Dublin "tracking upwards towards the prevailing cost of waste management in the rest of the country which is €300 to €400 a year."
Industry sources say that prices in Dublin have been below cost in some cases because of the amount of competition.
And they point to tight margins generally which has led to companies like Greenstar and Mr Binman going into receivership and Barna into examinership.
