Pay as You Throw

As the new micro chipped wheelie bin idea starts to make its debut, three local councils are ready to give the scheme a trial.

The micro chips will weigh the rubbish in each bin and households will be charged on a ‘pay as you throw’ basis. The Local Government Association believe that if the scheme takes off then it could only be a matter of time before weighing schemes are common practice.

The rubbish that will be collected will be weighed by equipment that’s installed into the trucks.

The statistics show that the UK has a poor percentage of its waste recycled, and in 2003-2004, our percentage was the worst in Europe.

The chairman of LGA’s environment board Mr Bettison said “Some people say ‘what’s in it for me?’ Well, let’s make it in their interest to recycle by helping them. In that way, we’re encouraging them to recycle more,”

This is only one of 40 schemes that will be given a trial run in an effort to reduce the amount of waste the Uk send to landfill. £5million pound has been put into the schemes. A government spokeswoman said that they would be looking at a “range of options” in a view to see a reduction in the amount we send to landfill.

The LGA states that if landfill targets are not met, then tax bills are going to rise as the Uk will be faced with large EU fines.

Nik Pearce, IPPR director said the government should give local authorities powers to charge for collecting non-recyclable waste,” he added

“Our European neighbours have shown that where charges are commonplace, recycling rates will rise.”

However, not everyone is for the new scheme. Campaigners for privacy are opposed to the idea. Founder of Privacy International said “Residents need to be aware that once they accept this there is no turning back,” he adds, “This just takes it to a new level.”