Would you pay as you throw?

5:00pm Wednesday 10th January 2007

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By Jenny Makin »

FOR decades householders have been able to tip their rubbish away and not really give it a second thought.

For most it was just a case of remembering to put out the bin bags on the right day each week and they would be taken away with no further consequences.

“Evidence from other countries suggests that giving householders a rebate for recycling can incentivise recycling and reduce overall waste."

Environment Minister, Ben Bradshaw

But the tide is slowly changing with the introduction of wheelie bins, alternate week collections and recycling/green bins.

In some parts of the country local authorities have even taken steps to place hidden cameras inside bin lids to monitor how much rubbish is being recycled.

Now one Southampton MP wants to take things a step further - and charge residents for removing rubbish, on top of what they already pay in council tax - all in the name of going green.

Dubbed "pay as you throw", people would be billed up to £90 per year and then given "substantial discounts" based on how much waste they recycled.

Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, believes increasing recycling is a vital element in tackling climate change which is why he is calling for local councils to be given the power to introduce the "variable charging" system.

The idea has been greeted with some scepticism from council bosses in the city and across Hampshire who say it would bring its own catalogue of problems - not least in policing the scheme.

Recommending the idea be introduced, Mr Whitehead said: "At the moment councils have to collect everything we put out for landfill and the cost is put on council tax.

"Some parts of Europe are recycling 60-70 per cent of household waste but if local authorities in Britain recycled 30 per cent we would be doing very well.

"Landfill is very expensive and the cost of collecting waste and putting it in rubbish tips is going to go through the roof over the next few years.

"If you don't divert from landfill, waste collection costs will go up enormously anyway."

The move towards variable charging is backed by the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents town halls across Britain.

Environment spokesman Paul Bettison said: "For decades people have been used to being able to throw their rubbish away without worrying about the consequences. Those days are over.

"If save-as-you-throw was introduced it would mean a reduction in council tax and a separate charge for waste collection."

It is currently illegal for councils to introduce variable charging but the government is considering changing the law to give local authorities the option of trying it out.

Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "Evidence from other countries suggests that giving householders a rebate for recycling can incentivise recycling and reduce overall waste.

"In turn, that cuts the costs incurred by householders and local authorities. The Conservative-controlled LGA has requested that we give local authorities that freedom, and it is being actively considered."

The government may announce plans to allow variable charging when it publishes a review of its waste strategy in March.

But Eric Pickles, the Tory local government spokesman, warned: "Bin taxes would be deeply harmful to the local environment by causing a surge in fly-tipping, and cuts to the frequency of rubbish collection are already harming public health due to the increase in smells, vermin and infestations."