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• There is a consensus that we need to recycle more of our waste. The
UK government and the EU are committed to achieving this, but
progress is patchy. The UK, in particular, is lagging behind, often
referred to as the, 'dustbin of Europe'.
• This consensus is well founded. Waste, surprisingly enough, is
uneconomic. Recycling allows us to get value from things we would
otherwise bury in the ground. The environmental benefits are
persuasive too: increased recycling reduces the need for unpopular
landfill sites and incinerators, and can prompt emissions savings of
many millions of tonnes per year.
• The evidence from around the world is clear: the best way to increase
recycling is to introduce pay–as–you–throw (PAYT) waste charges. A
study of 7100 such schemes in the USA found an average 16–17%
reduction in landfill, a 50% increase in recycling, with a source
reduction in waste of around 16%. The UK is unique in prohibiting
PAYT.
• However, PAYT must not be used as a 'dustbin stealth tax'. It must be
accompanied by a corresponding fall in local tax rates. Furthermore,
there is no reason why PAYT should be more expensive than a tax–
funded system. Where PAYT is used in Holland and Ireland, it has not
increased household bills. In Germany it has led to savings.

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Gordon Hector

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