And Mr Meacher told delegates that he has a personal campaign in his Oldham consistency to get rid of wheelie bins as he believes they are detrimental to minimising waste arisings in the city. “Wheelie bins are enormous and don't help people to reduce the amount of waste they produce – people can put everything in them including the kitchen sink.”
To reduce the amount of waste produced, Mr Meacher said that he was receptive to the idea of variable charging and agreed that people should be charged according to the waste they generate but said it could easily become a bureaucratic exercise and asked: “How do you do this?”
But the Minister said that he thought that landfill permits are a “forceful and effective way to reduce landfill” and would force councils to start performing.
Concern
Speaking about the government's 140 million for recycling, Mr Meacher encouraged local authorities to come forward with their bids. When he explained how 85 million is being earmarked for poor performing authorities, there was concern from recycling officers that the money would be given to authorities without a waste strategy.
But Mr Meacher tried to reassure delegates and said: “We don't want to discourage best performers but it will be easier for them to meet their targets than for lower performing authorities. I know that you are saying don't throw after good money after bad but they will only get the money if they come up with good ideas.”
Mr Meacher explained how there was still 55 million for high performers and said: “There is plenty of opportunity for good performers, but there are many more poor performers and it is important that the money acts as a lever to increase performance.”
Speaking about the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, the Minister said that he did not think that there was enough money going into the collection and infrastructure for recycling. “It is not surprising that waste management companies give the money to repair church steeples as it is far more popular than funding recycling schemes. I am not against persuading people to support you, but feel uncomfortable about this. It would be much better if the money goes to recycling.”
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