'Pay as you throw' household waste trial shunned by councils

Rachel Williams
The Guardian, Friday 2 January 2009

Councils are intending to shun a "pay-as-you-throw" trial for household waste that would see residents rewarded for recycling or charged for producing too much rubbish, according to research released yesterday.
None of more than 100 councils in England that responded to a survey said they were planning to apply to take part in a pilot of incentive schemes, which forms part of the Climate Change Act. Many were worried about the impact of bin charges while others believed it would undermine efforts to encourage recycling or would not suit the demographics of their area.
The survey, conducted by the Press Association, found that many councils were embracing fortnightly rubbish collections, and that the system was helping to boost recycling levels. Councils with alternate week collections had, on average, an almost 10% higher recycling rate than those without such schemes.
The pay-as-you-throw trial allows up to five councils in England to test out such initiatives. But Terry Neville, cabinet member for the environment at Enfield council, north London, said: "We will not be going down this route. Waste collection is a major part of our service and we will not be asking our residents to fork out more money for something they are already paying for in council tax."
Ellesmere Port and Neston borough council, Cheshire, said the initiative would "damage the goodwill that has been built up over the years" with residents who were already participating in their successful recycling scheme.
Huw Irranca-Davies, the junior minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "We are currently accepting expressions of interest from local authorities to take part in these pilots, which a recent BBC survey suggested the majority of people would support, though it remains the case that it is up to local authorities to do what they think is best for their area.
"Alternate weekly collections increase the amount that we recycle, but they are just one of the ways local authorities can cut the amount sent to landfill."