The Social Protection Minister has said it is apparent waste companies are taking advantage of new laws.

Leo Varadkar has said some bin companies looking for a price increase of up to 200% is not acceptable.

The new laws see customers pay by weight instead of by bin.

Leo Varadkar has said Simon Coveney will make the government’s position very clear at a meeting with waste companies this evening: “Well I think it is evident that some of the bin companies, maybe not all of them, but certainly some of them, are using this new system as an opportunity to hike charges they probably planned to hike anyway.

“And it is really not acceptable from the point of view of the Government.”