Post by celticwitch on May 25, 2007 6:53:18 GMT
I hope this is the right place for this.
LONDON (Reuters) - Households face higher council charges if they recycle less than their green neighbours, under government "pay-as-you-throw" plans unveiled on Thursday.
Wheelie bins fitted with electronic sensors would weigh the amount of non-recyclable waste thrown away and families would be charged accordingly.
Households that beat recycling targets would get money back from the council, while those that create lots of rubbish would pay higher charges.
"The aim of the scheme would be to reward those who take steps to recycle and minimise their waste, and incentives those who do not," the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a public consultation paper.
Environment Secretary David Miliband said cutting waste and landfill would help tackle climate change. He wants 40 percent of all household rubbish to be recycled within three years.
"We need to not only recycle and reuse waste, but also prevent it in the first place," he said at the launch of a government drive to cut waste.
Under the plans, councils would have to offer people the chance to recycle at least five types of refuse, such as paper, glass, cans, food and plastic.
Councils would then count the number of black sacks used by households for non-recyclable rubbish or weigh their bins. They would have to return any money raised to greener residents.
Conservative Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth accused the government of "bullying" families and councils.
"It is clear that the government's current approach to waste is failing," he said. "This is because the government persists in bullying councils, communities and families instead of making it easier for them to go green."
Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the Local Government Association, said the scheme should only go ahead with the public's support.
"It is vital that any council ... first guarantees that there will be no overall increase in council tax, it has public support and that tough measures are in place to prevent flytipping," he said.
Britain is near the bottom of Europe's recycling league, with only Greece and Portugal recycling less, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Green Alliance.
LONDON (Reuters) - Households face higher council charges if they recycle less than their green neighbours, under government "pay-as-you-throw" plans unveiled on Thursday.
Wheelie bins fitted with electronic sensors would weigh the amount of non-recyclable waste thrown away and families would be charged accordingly.
Households that beat recycling targets would get money back from the council, while those that create lots of rubbish would pay higher charges.
"The aim of the scheme would be to reward those who take steps to recycle and minimise their waste, and incentives those who do not," the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a public consultation paper.
Environment Secretary David Miliband said cutting waste and landfill would help tackle climate change. He wants 40 percent of all household rubbish to be recycled within three years.
"We need to not only recycle and reuse waste, but also prevent it in the first place," he said at the launch of a government drive to cut waste.
Under the plans, councils would have to offer people the chance to recycle at least five types of refuse, such as paper, glass, cans, food and plastic.
Councils would then count the number of black sacks used by households for non-recyclable rubbish or weigh their bins. They would have to return any money raised to greener residents.
Conservative Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth accused the government of "bullying" families and councils.
"It is clear that the government's current approach to waste is failing," he said. "This is because the government persists in bullying councils, communities and families instead of making it easier for them to go green."
Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the Local Government Association, said the scheme should only go ahead with the public's support.
"It is vital that any council ... first guarantees that there will be no overall increase in council tax, it has public support and that tough measures are in place to prevent flytipping," he said.
Britain is near the bottom of Europe's recycling league, with only Greece and Portugal recycling less, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Green Alliance.
