Tim Worstall

Waste Fees and Fly Tipping

Err, excuse me, we need a report to tell us this?

Illegal fly-tipping could almost double under plans
to introduce "pay-as-you-throw" charges to collect rubbish, a
Government-commissioned report has warned.

The
study claims an extra 155,000 tons of refuse could be dumped in lay-bys
or neighbours’ bins if the new charges are imposed. Taxpayers will be
left with a £39 million clean-up bill, it says.

Who but the truly insane would need to be told this? People respond to incentives so if you raise the price of their legal waste collection at least some of them will dispose of it illegally.

In

5 responses

  1. Roger Thornhill Avatar
    Roger Thornhill

    Who but the truly insane would need to be told this?
    Indeed – that is why the Government needs to do a report.
    They are past masters at undermining a working system, saying it is flawed, introducing a crackpot alternative so they can then ‘resolve’ their ‘intended consequences’ to suit their overall agenda.
    “Pay as you throw” is part of the excuse to put in more CCTV monitoring, which, in itself is just an excuse for more contracts and more arbitrary control over expenditure (=corruption).

    Reply
  2. Philip Thomas Avatar
    Philip Thomas

    I like the idea of paying for the amount of rubbish you create, living in a house on my own and recycling most things, I don’t create much waste at all. Indeed I invite my neighbours to use my bin also. However, my personal attraction to the idea has to be tempered with whether it is practicable.
    Firstly, it’ll cost a bloody fortune to implement. Secondly, it’ll lead to more flytipping and the cost of cleaning that up. Thirdly, it’ll lead to plenty of personal strife for me because I may invite neighbours to put rubbish in my bin but I’ll have to stop that once it’s costing me…yet when I or anyone else puts a nearly-empty bin out, it’s fair game for anyone with excess rubbish. I can honestly see people creeping round the backs of terraces dropping bags in other people’s bins.

    Reply
  3. JH Avatar
    JH

    One way to deal with potential increases in fly tipping would be to increase the expected penalty (probability of being caught * penalty imposed) associated with it. Currently the Environment Agency has too few resources to monitor waste crime and the fines imposed are pitiful to say the least. No deterrent whatsoever.

    Reply
  4. Philip Thomas Avatar
    Philip Thomas

    True, JH. However, we don’t need a fancy new bin system for that, we should do it already. You’ll find a lot of the problems with flytipping are that the police are no longer involved in it, it’s a council issue. Years ago, my Dad got the police to prosecute a few people dumping near us, now he can’t even get the council to do anything but clear up after them. And this is after providing all the evidence to them on a plate.

    Reply
  5. IanCroydon Avatar
    IanCroydon

    What amazes me is not how the microchipping of wheelie bins invokes a big brother attitude, but how obviously easy it would be to circumvent.
    Recycling and shredding to avoid identity theft has mde everyone anal about sorting rubbish, so it is relatively effortless to come up with a bag of waste that is not incriminating to the owner.
    Place the “anonymous” bag beside the wheelie bin, i.e. fly tip outside your own property, and it is exactly like the good old days.
    What would a council do ? Leave rubbish in the street outside your house ? I don’t think they are actually allowed to do that, aren’t they ?

    Reply

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