Rubbish

BBC: 'Pay as you throw' call for waste

Councils should be given powers to charge households for getting rid of non-recyclable rubbish, a think tank has urged the government.

The Institute for Public Policy Research said a "pay as you throw" system was the only way to improve the UK's poor recycling record.

Erm… aren't we being charged already? It's called the Council Tax, chaps.

Who are these tossers in so-called think tanks do you reckon? I'll bet they're self-appointed (as well as self-important). Their answer to every problem seems to be to fine people. I think we should fine think tanks every time they come up with a solution that involves taking more money off us.

It is simply not true that the only way to improve the UK's poor recycling record is to charge for non-recyclable rubbish. For a start, why not give people better recycling facilities? I wrote to my own council recently to complain about ours: we receive a single, tiny recycling box which is collected once per fortnight, we are not allowed to over-fill the box, we are expected to wash anything that is dirty, and we are expected to bag-up the different types of rubbish before we put it in the box. It's ridiculous. I don't mind separating stuff (which is where I can add real value to the recycling process), but why all this other palaver? What we need is different bins for different types of rubbish—like they do in other places. But Calderdale Council (to name and shame it), despite our frankly massive council tax, apparently hasn't got the money to do recycling properly because it has spent it all on unnecessary and highly criticised road improvements in Hebden Bridge.

I mean, Hebden Bridge is Hippy Central, for Pete's sake: this should be like pushing at an open door. If we can't get recycling right here, we really are knackered.

Richard Carter

A fat, bearded chap with a Charles Darwin fixation.

One comment

  1. Down here, they are only going to empty the bins fortnightly & they expect us to sort the rubbish for them. Are they working for us , or are we working for them? Perhaps they should halve the council tax, or pay US for the work we will have to do!

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