England – speculation over pay-as-you-throw policy

The London Evening reports that that pay-as-you-throw is on the Government‘‘s agenda. A tax on household waste which will make families pay for every bag of rubbish they leave out is on the cards, a Downing Street report reveals today.



The Prime Minister‘‘s policy officials are studying schemes for pay-asy-ou-dump fees that would mean larger families paying more. Experts say a charge of 25p to 50p per kilo of waste is possible, which would cost the average household about £10 a month.



Tony Blair‘‘s interest in the idea is revealed in a leaked 50-page report by the No10 Strategy Unit, obtained by London Lite, that was distributed privately to Commons committee chairmen this week.



On the environment, it says " economic incentives" have been used in other countries to encourage people to go green. "Household waste charges are well established in the EU and the United States, " it adds. "Variable charging typically cuts waste volume by 10 per cent and increases recycling. "



Typically, where charges are used, consumers can have recycling, such as bottles and newspapers, collected for free, but fees are applied to waste for landfill sites. The study cites the success of an Italian system which saw household waste cut from 400kg to 350kg and the amount recycled rise from 150kg to 200kg after charging was introduced.



At present, families have rubbish collected by local authorities in return for paying council tax. But environmentalists claim the current system means there is no incentive to reduce output or sift out items for recycling