Council Tax And Waste

[dog]

In a recent thread on waste disposal, I observed that it would only be a matter of time before the local councils started fitting load cells to the lorries and charging us by weight for waste disposal. I thought I was being ironic but to my amazement, that is exactly what they are now talking about.

Waste disposal

If they go ahead with this, council tax won't go down. It will just be another stealth tax.

High taxes have done nothing to stop smoking or reducing petrol consumption so why should it work for waste? Other European countries have implemented successful recycling programmes without ripping off the public.

[Dames]

Nothing to do with the enviroment and all to do with GB's overspend on public services imho.

He's skint basically and is running out of ways of applying tax increases by stealth.

Dames

Oh, and roll on the bun fight that is going to happen at the Nu-Laborious conference this month.

Slow hand claps a plenty one hopes .

Dames

ps: how do I get a copyright sign on my keyboard?

Edited August 27, 2006 by Dames

[ImA20SomethingGetMeOutOfHere]

This is a classic example of how government in the UK works.

The reason why we have a poor recycling record is that the recycling services provided by the council are, if you'll pardon the pun, rubbish. However, rather than improve the service what you do is complain that people aren't using it enough and slap them with punative charges.

I reckon the only solution is to start a massive campaign of illeagal fly tipping outside any government office you can find.

[Dames]

I thought the reason it was rubbish is because they ( Gov ) expect waste companies to put in all the investment in the technology for recycling without the UK gov sticking their own hand in their pockets ( our money ) . The companies say they won't make any money on there investment , who can blame them for not wanting to go ahead.

As I'm aware we already have a re-cycled 'mountain' of green glass as there are only so many applications it can be used for , roads being one of the main ones I think .

Dames

[jonewer]

This is a classic example of how government in the UK works.

The reason why we have a poor recycling record is that the recycling services provided by the council are, if you'll pardon the pun, rubbish. However, rather than improve the service what you do is complain that people aren't using it enough and slap them with punative charges.

I reckon the only solution is to start a massive campaign of illeagal fly tipping outside any government office you can find.

Here the our garbage wasnt collected for two weeks. One more day and I would have wheelied my bins the 300yards to the coucil offices and tipped the lot into their atrium.

[Guest Alright Jack]

OLD LABOUR : Tax and spend.

CONSERVATIVES : Borrow and spend.

NU LABOUR : Everthing + kitchen sink.

[OnlyMe]

End result will be more fly-tipping - more rubbish everywhere. The stealth taxes on commerical waste has resulted in this trend - just what are companies supposed to do, it is not as if they create waste for the hell of it.

Some people will be sorting their rubbish alright - into two bags - one identifyable and one not, one lot goes in the bin, the other gets chucked out of the car.

[Bingley Bloke]

In a recent thread on waste disposal, I observed that it would only be a matter of time before the local councils started fitting load cells to the lorries and charging us by weight for waste disposal.

Could be good for me and the other half. We create so little waste we could put the bin out just once a month. Why we should be paying the same as the rempant breeder next door who has four kids and is already benefitting from breeder handouts funded by my taxes is beyond me.

[a j]

Other European countries have implemented successful recycling programmes without ripping off the public.

Can you give an example of one?

[northern numpty]

Could be good for me and the other half. We create so little waste we could put the bin out just once a month. Why we should be paying the same as the rempant breeder next door who has four kids and is already benefitting from breeder handouts funded by my taxes is beyond me.

Hey dont be mean....if you aint filling ya bin then offer the space to nextdoor....in a kind of way your nextdoor breeder is accounting for your lack of productive waste with their excess....embrace them dont loath them......their your equilibrium.

[Dames]

Bring back incinerators , they must be able to filter most stuff out now .

Don't go for the whole enviromental/ozone thing myself , I think it's a tax raising ruse.

Dames

[dog]

Can you give an example of one?

Germany

[MarkG]

Germany

How does Germany solve the problem we have: that companies simply don't want most of the recycled crap that the government collects?

'Recycling' may give eco-nutters wet dreams, but it's utterly worthless if you just end up with mountains of crap sorted by type, and having to pay to dump it in the Third World. This whole council scam is just to avoid having to admit that the recycling fad has been a dismal failure.

Edited August 27, 2006 by MarkG

[Jason]

If you charge people for dumping waste, people will just dump it illegally.

You know it's gonna happen...

[BossCat]

If you charge people for dumping waste, people will just dump it illegally.

You know it's gonna happen...

I am informed by a German work colleague that this system works well over there. Very little fly tipping. The system has a lot of merit. High density households and HMO pay more for emptying their rubbish than thrifty sensible people. It's not just about recycling though, it's also about land fill (although there is a weight / volume issue here). However, I do agree with you that if such a system were implimented here there would be a great deal of dumping illegally - but surely this says more about our society than a proven system for waste disposal.

Dames and aj have a point though. While I'm sure the proposers of this (and the green's) have an altruistic intention the temptation for central and local gov't to turn it into a tax raiser is too great. I cite the london congestion charge

Link - note the date this was written

and the speed camera system

Link

[adamUK]

The whole recycling thing is crazy. We can't recycle plastics but glass is okay on Teesside but you can do plastic at my parent's house but you can't put glass in there as the Health and Safety say it might cut some one.

As for businesses, of course you pay for your bins on a size basis so the council won't give us a green one as there's no incentive as it cuts down the amount of money they would make to have your regular waste - even the head of the waste handling bit of the council said it was nuts.