Dublin City Council in Ireland has been deemed by the high court to have abused its dominant position in the household waste collection market in an attempt to remove rival operators. High court judge Liam McKechnie quashed a variation to the city’s waste management plan which meant that only the councils, or contractors appointed by them, could collect household waste. Following complaints from waste contractors who said the variation to the plan was an abuse of their dominant position, and contrary to competition law, the case was brought forward. One contractor stated the intent was to ‘directly remove competition’.
