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

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29/09/09
“However, over one-quarter disagree and this may reflect the fact that they
are unfamiliar with the waiver system or that they do not think that the
waivers adequately meet the needs of certain households. They may also feel
that some people generate waste through no fault of their own and yet have to
pay. There is also the issue that tax relief on the waste charge is granted to
compliant customers, but those that are not earning sufficient money to be in
the tax net cannot avail of the relief.”
The most negative attitude was reflected by the 47% of respondents who felt that it
had increased the mess and bother of waste disposal. This might reflect a lack of a
wide scope of recycling service, with only glass recycling considered to be convenient
in these areas.
Table 7-1: Perceptions of the New Pay-by-weight Scheme
Possible views about the new pay-byweight
scheme
Agree
Neither agree nor
disagree
Disagree
New pay-by-weight scheme is fair 64% 8% 28%
New scheme encourages households to
reduce waste
93% 4% 3%
Makes people more aware of the cost of
waste disposal
90% 4% 5%
Better than the old flat annual charge 56% 13% 31%
Better than paying through an increase
in income tax
78% 15% 8%
Scheme has increased mess and bother
of waste disposal
47% 11% 42%
Feel I have enough information on
recycling and other methods
71% 3% 26%
Source: Sue Scott and Dorothy Watson (2006) Introduction of Weight-Based Charges for Domestic
Solid Waste Disposal, Final Report Prepared for the EPA by the Economic and Social Research
Institute, (2000-DS-6-M1).
7.9 Effects on Technical Change / Innovation
PBU has resulted in new waste collection technologies. Under the pay by weight
scheme each residual waste collection vehicle is installed with weighing equipment
designed to weigh wheeled bins as they are lifted into the truck. Every bin is fitted
with a microchip in the underside of the lip of the bin. Each chip has the individual
householder’s details scanned onto it. When a bin is emptied a microchip reader on
the back of the truck sends the information to the on board computer. The
information gathered is then downloaded to an invoicing system and this is how
householders can then be billed in accordance with the weight of waste they produce
for disposal.
Waste collection vehicles with separated compartments within the trucks to allow for
collection of both residual black bin waste and dry recyclables have been developed.
This allows the collection of both types of materials in the same route shift coverage
on the same day using the same staffing (administrative) resource to achieve the
objective. This development has occurred in response to the alternative
administrative cost option of collecting the material in separate trucks, on separate