Bin collection charges for homes are set to rise in many areas of France in 2025 with some councils increasing their rates by double digits.
Cities are on average increasing their rates more than smaller towns, with notable examples including Montpellier (up 18.4%) and Rennes (31.3%).
In Dordogne, south-west France, fly tipping is reported to be pushing up the bin fees there more than expected linked to its incentive-based ‘pay-per-bag’ system.
How does the charge system work?
To cover the cost of waste collection, homeowners in France pay a taxe or redevance d’enlèvement des ordures ménagères (TEOM or REOM). Only one of the two must be paid.
The TEOM, which is shown in the taxe foncière homeowners’ tax statement, is typically transferred to the tenant if the property is rented out, with the exception of the administrative fees which form part of the tax.
The REOM must be paid by the person who occupies the property and is billed separately by communes, which decide on the timing of the bill.
Read more: LIST: Key dates in 2024 for France’s property owner’s tax
TEOM, worked out based on council percentage rates, is the more common of the two.
REOM, where it exists, is calcuated based on how much a household uses the waste collection service, notably depending on the weight of waste collected.
Local councils or groups of councils (communautés de communes) can also choose to combine a fixed part of the TEOM bill with a variable ‘incentive-based’ part which varies depending on how many bins are put out per year, or the weight of waste.
How the bin tax is calculated
The TEOM is calculated based on the valeur locative cadastrale, which is the theoretical rental value of a property.
This value is then divided by two, onto which councils then apply a rate that they set annually.
The national average rate for this is around 8%. However, in Aix-en-Provence, Vitrolles, or Istres (Bouches-du Rhône) it is as high as 14%.
Administrative fees for the tax collection are added to the result along with any ‘incentive fees’ applied by the local council.
In towns such as Brest this can result in fees as low as €70 a year. However, in Marseille the average figure is around €217.
This year, on average, large cities are increasing TEOM rates by 1.2% and medium-sized towns by 0.7%, according to a study by analysts Cabinet FSL.
Read more: ‘Pay per wheelie bin’ rubbish charge set to expand across France
Areas with the steepest rises in rates for bin collection
The highest TEOM rate rise in towns and cities in the Cabinet FSL study was Rennes, whose rate is has risen by 31.3% compared to last year, to 9.85%.
Meanwhile homeowners in Château-Chinon, Nièvre, have in some cases reported bills rising fourfold, due to the commune fusing with others nearby and a change from a REOM to the TEOM.
Under the new system, the council’s rates for bin collection will be calculated based on the valeur locative of their property rather than the number of people who live there, as is currently the case.
This will disproportionately hit people with larger properties with fees likely to be up to 400% higher for some homeowners.
Average bills under the new system will rise from €140 to €323, according to French media Capital.
The Communauté de Communes claims the rise is fair. “We are making no profit from this,” a spokesperson told news website. “Those with large property values and large houses will see their contributions increase.”
The Communauté de Communes of Alpes Provence Verdon, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence will increase its fees by up to 270% for some households.
The council’s REOM is set at €181.40 in 2024, which is set to rise to an average of €323.
“Our own landfill sites for household waste are saturated, and have no legal possibility of expanding,” it announced on its website.
”According to the law of supply and demand private landfill sites charge higher rates to receive and bury the waste sent to them by businesses and local authorities.”
It added that inflation, fuel costs and taxes also contributed to the rise.
Another council scrambling to raise money for waste collection is the Communauté de Communes of Sèvre et Loire, Loire-Atlantique.
Having already raised its TEOM rates by 19% in 2022, the council has approved another 15% rise in January 2025. This will be followed by further 3% rises in 2026 and 2027.
The council said the rise was “necessary” to stabilise its finances due to the rise in the Taxe générale sur les activités polluantes (taxes on waste management).
‘Incivilities’ push up rates in Dordogne
Much of Dordogne is serviced by the SMD3 group for bin collection under a REOM system that includes controversial incentive fees.
The local bin collection rates were expected to rise by 2.5% in 2025 until recently, however SMD3 told France Bleu that the actual figure could be double this due to the cost of fly tipping.
"The total cost of incivilities is colossal,” said SMD3 manager Pascal Protano. “Between bags at the foot of bins and damage to systems, it costs SMD3 several thousand euros a day. So much so that the increase in the incentive fee will not just be due to the rise in the cost of living, but also to incivilities.”
“The cost of this is going to fall on people who do things properly. They will end up having to pay more than the perpetrators of incivilities, and that is completely intolerable”.
SMD3 is expected to adjust its 2025 rate at a meeting in the coming weeks.
Waste taxes double since 2019
A large part of the national rise in bin rates is explained by the scheduled increase in taxes on waste management that was introduced in the French Finance law of 2019.
The law outlined annual increases in the Taxe générale sur les activités polluantes (Tax on polluting activities) between 2019 and 2025.
“This tax was €3.5million in 2021 and €3.9million in 2023. It will rise to €4.4million in 2025,” Sèvre et Loire councillor Xavier Rineau told newspaper L'Hebdo de Sèvre-et-Maine.
Do you consider your rubbish charges to be fair? Tell us your view via feedback@connexionfrance.com
