The end is just the beginning

Two weeks ago I wrote with some distaste that the Government - or perhaps more accurately, Environment Minister Caroline Spelman - had performed a wicked u-turn and ruled-out banning the use of "pay-as-you-throw" taxes.

But over the weekend it emerged that the Coalition's conscience had fought back as the Sunday Express explains:

Labour's plans for pay-as-you-throw bin taxes will be dumped tomorrow, freeing householders from the threat of £100 charges for producing too much rubbish.

A senior source at the Department for Communities and Local Government said pilot schemes underway would be “consigned to the dustbin of history,” making good on a Tory election promise.

As Big Brother Watch revealed earlier this year, over 2.6 million households have had their bins microchipped - a devious form of waste surveillance that provides councils with yet more private data and is the first step on the road to home-owners being charged for the amount they throw away.

But while we can all be pleased with the announcement this morning (one which we made a call for in our election manifesto), there is still some cause for concern.

From the BBC News website:

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is backing a recycling reward scheme pioneered by Windsor and Maidenhead council in Berkshire.

Households in the borough will be awarded points for the amount they recycle, which can be redeemed at shops, restaurants and leisure centres, or donated to schools.

The government argues that such incentives are more effective than taxes or fines in reducing the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites.

The move away from fine to reward is welcome, but the Government's encouragement to install microchips in our bins for any reason must be treated with suspicion.

Any scheme can start out with pure motives before being used for bad reasons. And Big Brother Watch is committed to reducing the level of surveillance in this country.

Therefore we support the end of 'bin taxes' but warn that these so-called reward schemes should be resisted wherever possible.

By Dylan Sharpe

Comments

[Nick]

If the reqard system is voluntary then I'd be fine with that, just so long as there is no creep from voluntary to normal to compulary.

[Demeter]

It doesn't even have to involve function creep or degeneration to compulsion.

There is no difference between a "reward" or a "discount" off Council Tax and an implicit hike in said tax for those who do not "achieve" reward or discount "targets".

Just like the "discounts" for transacting with utilities on-line or "agreeing" to paperless billing.

These are all techniques of coercion by levy, no more no less.

[mrmovie]

recycling material has worth. it is about time this reality was brought to the british publics attention. other countries have healthy recycling processes where the end user is actively encouraged to take part. is it any wonder that we have such a poor recycling rate.
i fail to see how this move can be a bad thing. the notion that this is rewarding waste creation is silly. agreed, you can say that those that do not get the reward are loosing out (despite being greener). i am afraid, the only answer will be to offset the green bin against the normal landfill bin, you cant have one without the other. the more people claim it is 'unfair' the more compelling the logic to weigh and tax the land fill bin. I welcome it. Its fair, even and it makes sense. Ok, one would expect council tax bills to reduce once it is introduced, which prob wont happen.

[Purlieu]

two words - fly tipping

[mrmovie]

or filling the pain in the arse neighbours bin with some old bricks! in some countries you need to pay for special black bags to put rubbish in, the bags are 'taxed' when you buy them, pretty expensive black bags. in modern, civilised countries people dont fly tip on mass. they dont even drop litter on the floor, its amazing, you even see people picking up litter that someone else has dropped. unfortunately, britian is not one those countries