Six bin companies have promised to change consumer contracts after they were found to be unfair by the National Consumer Agency (NCA).

The companies involved were the City Bin Company; Panda Waste; Greenstar; AES; Country Clean Recycling; and Oxigen.

This follows on from an undertaking secured from Greyhound in late 2012.

The NCA says it uses its powers to address unfair commercial practises in the most appropriate and effective way possible - whether through securing undertakings, issuing compliance notices and fixed payment notices and if necessary taking prosecutions.

Among the terms which the NCA considered unfair were exposing consumers to unspecified charges, altering of terms and conditions without a valid reason, and terms not being drafted in plain English.

Chief Executive of the NCA Karen O'Leary says some of the contracts issued to consumers by bin companies were patently unfair.

As part of its Consumer Protection List for the six months to June, the NCA also secured:

• One conviction of a car dealer in relation to the sale of a clocked car, securing a compensation order of €1,750 on behalf of the consumer.
• One Undertaking from a car dealer in relation to the sale of a clocked car
• Issued 46 Enforcement Actions against traders in relation breaches of misleading pricing and price display legislation (e.g. charging consumers more than price displayed, failing to display product prices)