International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

general does not allow assessment of flows of waste into alternate channels –
recycling, civic amenity sites, direct delivery to landfill, or illegal disposal routes.
ESRI (2009) reports: 143
110
29/09/09
Although PBU areas saw a decline in waste presentation - 227 kg per person
in 2003 to 219kg in 2005 – many collectors used volume-based charging, a
system that can yield similar (ineffective) results to the flat-rate charging of
waste collection in the past. The average reduction found in this study is quite
low by international standards. And by the end of 2006, six LAs still had waste
collectors operating a flat-rate charge in parts of their functional area
(O’Callaghan-Platt & Davies, 2008a).
An effective PBU system sends a more accurate pricing signal to the
producers of waste than a flat rate, and encourages them to reduce their
waste generation, but the continued use of a flat rate or even bin-size based
charging weakens this incentive to change household and business habits. In
O’Callaghan-Platt and Davies’ survey, it emerged that volume-based charging
is used in 62% of LAs’ functional areas, and that the price difference between
a 140l and 240l bin is quite small, thus explaining in part the weak effect of
the PBU system in Ireland. It is notable that this form of charging is not used
by any public waste collectors. This fact also illustrates the lack of control LAs
have over collection practices under the current permitting system
(O’Callaghan-Platt & Davies, 2008b).
These observations are consistent with international experiences, where
‘subscription-based’ schemes, in which householders sign up for a given service
configuration for a fixed period, lead to minimal incentives, at the margin, for
behavioural change. Stronger stimulus is provided by schemes where ‘frequency’ and
‘weight’ are the bases for charges, with these being up to households to determine
(through tagged, or other identification-based, bag and bin schemes).
7.6.2 Benefits of Pay by Use Policy in Relation to Recycling
The increased proportion of waste which may be recycled is also likely to have been
positive. Recycling rates have certainly increased in recent years, over the time where
pay-by-use has become more commonplace. However, since there have been
considerable service changes during this time no quantitative assessments have
been able to be made.
7.6.3 Negative Impacts of Pay by Use in Relation to Recycling
One negative impact of PBU appears to have been illegal dumping, and an increase in
backyard burning. Scott’s work indicates very high levels of reported burning of waste
143 ESRI (2009) An Economic Approach to Municipal Waste Management Policy in Ireland, Preliminary
Report for Dublin City Council, 27 July 2009.