Date published: 2007/01/07
The BBC says:
The UK dumps more household waste into landfill than any other EU state, according to figures. It disposes of more than 27m tonnes of waste in this way each year - 7m more than any other country, the Local Government Association (LGA) says.
This is the equivalent of half a tonne per household, per year, making the UK the "dustbin of Europe", it says.
...
The LGA, which represents 400 councils in England and Wales, wants the government to allow local authorities powers to reduce council tax for households throwing out less rubbish and impose separate charges for collecting waste.It is also calling for the manufacturers of single-use items such as nappies, disposable cameras and batteries to contribute to the cost of dealing with their disposal.
Councillor Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA's Environment Board, said: "It is time manufacturers were made to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products. It is totally unacceptable that the council tax payer is picking up the bill for business."
It is unfortunate that the LGA is the source behind this story, since it reads like a political diatribe rather than a serious commentary. In particular, Bettison is completely wrong "that the council tax payer is picking up the bill for business". The council tax payer is picking up the bill for the council resident. It is not businesses that consume these products, but us, the citizens of Britain.
The idea of charging for waste collection by weight (say) is ok from a theoretical point of view but has some obvious practical downsides. It will lead to people sneaking inappropiate waste into the recycling bins, it will lead to increased fly tipping of waste, and it will lead to people throwing junk into other people's bins. And as soon as families with children discover that their bills have gone up there will be an outcry and we will suddenly be given all sorts of excuses why they should get a discount, i.e. why the rest of the country should once again subsidise them.
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