Starting from July 1, waste transportation will cost more. Prices will increase by an average of 30-50%. This is related to new taxes for waste incineration and storage.
Many municipalities have already confirmed the new prices. Waste transportation now costs 2-3 times more. Waste carriers like Eesti Keskkonnateenused or Ragn-Sells pay more to the state for each ton of waste. Therefore, they requested price increases from municipalities.
Bruno Tammaru, head of Eesti Keskkonnateenused, says that the price increase primarily concerns mixed waste. These are waste bins where different types of waste are mixed. According to him, the reason is that waste is not sorted sufficiently in Estonia. The European Union wants us to sort waste more.
The majority of municipalities have accepted the new prices. This means that people now have to pay more for waste.
Rene Kintsiraud, deputy mayor of Põlva municipality, explained how this affects people. For example, in an apartment building with a large waste container. Previously it cost 56 euros, now 66 euros. If waste is collected 4 times a month, this adds 20-40 euros. Apartment owners will pay this.
The new prices also affect the disposal of bulky waste. For example, sofas or construction waste. Previously, a ton of waste cost 60-70 euros, now it costs 120-140 euros. This is a significant price increase.