Sligo County Council has begun dumping its rubbish in Co Mayo, but it is being charged more than 20 per cent above the commercial rate to do so.
While the normal price per tonne of rubbish accepted at the Rathroeen landfill site, situated just outside Ballina, is £55 per tonne, for Sligo waste the charge is £70 per tonne.
Sligo began dumping waste in Mayo on February 1st.
According to Mayo assistant county manager Mr Alex Fleming, the fee had been agreed between the two local authorities.
"Sligo has no landfill site of its own. As of last Wednesday, Donegal County Council has refused to accept any more rubbish from Sligo. Under the Connacht Waste Management plan, adopted by Mayo County Council last year, we must accept Sligo waste in the interim," Mr Fleming explained.
"Ourselves and Sligo County Council have been in consultation over this situation and we have now agreed to accept 15,000 tonnes of Sligo waste annually at our landfill site at Rathroeen, Ballina, and that waste will be charged at £70 per tonne.
"Within this agreement is a monthly review clause, so that the situation will be continually monitored.
"Mayo County Council has applied to the Environmental Protection Agency for an engineer landfill licence for the Rathroeen site. So far it has not been granted but the additional waste from Sligo has now been factored into our application," Mr Fleming said.