Steve Lee, chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, commented that other European countries had not encountered major problems with pay-by-weight schemes.
” We are not unique and must stop telling ourselves we are “
– Steve Lee, chief executive of The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
He said: “Pretty well any European state you can mention has given local authorities the power to introduce variable charging. I do not see waste riots on the streets of Paris. We are not unique and must stop telling ourselves we are.”
Mr Lee, who was speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group in Westminster on 'Pay-by-Weight', called for the government to give councils the power to make their own decisions over variable charging for refuse collections. He advocated that the prohibition under section 45 in the Environmental Protection Act be waived.
The chief executive claimed that despite the negative potential of pay-by-weight – to hit low income families, increase fly-tipping and create a negative public perception as a stealth tax – “cushioned ” UK residents needed to become more responsible for their waste.
Cautious
Support for a new approach also came from Councillor Mike Haines, deputy chairman of the Local Government Association's Environment Board, who confirmed that the government was conducting discussions on variable charging during the revision of its waste strategy.
He said: “A government is going to be cautious in bringing this scheme in if it is going to backfire. There have been various discussions but it's moving too slowly and we need to get there a lot quicker.”
Cllr Haines suggested that if pay-by-weight was introduced, it would engender a whole culture of waste reduction, pressurising supermarkets to reduce packaging.
He said: “We don't have time for the government to look at reports. 2013 is looming and local authorities need to have this power now. We are the ones who will face the potential flack from the public but we can learn from other European countries.”
Cllr Haines comments followed a warning by the LGA in July that taxpayers would face a 400 million tax bill if they did not charge for residual waste collections. (see letsrecycle.com story)
According to an LGA survey, 64% of people in the UK would prefer to pay less for their council tax and be charged directly for their waste.
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