The government’s waste policy review and fortnightly refuse collections

There was concern after the campaigning by Eric Pickles to bring back weekly refuse collections that the government would spend around £100,000 to enable councils to do this [1]. Thankfully, the latest waste policy review has concluded that fortnightly weekly collections can stay and councils have been left to decide for themselves whether they bring back weekly collections; arguably a step towards localism. I can’t help thinking how wasteful it would have been to spend £100,000 on bringing back weekly collections. It would have also been very hard for the government to maintain its stance of being the ‘greenest’ government yet.

Some have argued that by only having fortnightly collections, we are witnessing a reduction in service and that people who pay a considerable amount in council tax should expect a regular, more frequent service [1]. However, we are in fact seeing more and more waste collections, just not those to do with general refuse in black bin liners. There are dry recycling collections, food collections and garden collections, which most councils now offer, so this is hardly a reduction in service. Yes, it may make us think a little harder about how we dispose of our waste but is that really such a bad thing? Gone are the days when we can just forget about the consequences of our rubbish the minute we discard it in a black bin liner. We are being educated about the adverse effects of landfill, including the release of methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide; and trans-boundary consequences of exporting our rubbish (sometimes illegally as recently highlighted by Panorama) to parts of the world that are already struggling to cope with the effects of climate change. Therefore, is it really too much to ask to only have fortnightly collections for our general refuse bags?

Whilst fortnightly collections may be considered more of a ‘stick’ than a ‘carrot’ approach in helping to increase recycling, the government has realised that while we are still in a transition phase of encouraging people to pursue more environmentally friendly behaviour, enforcement is not always the answer. The waste policy review also announced that the government has reviewed some of the enforcement policies, and is changing some criminal offences to civil penalties and reducing some of the fines to be more fair [2]. As the review states, it is not fair to fine someone who does not close their bin lid properly more than someone who shoplifts [2]. In order to change people’s behaviour, enforcement may be needed, but it has to be fair and appropriate. It takes time to change people’s behaviour and using excessive measures in the early stages will not help the transition. The government has realised that reward is also needed and that people who reduce and recycle their waste should be recognised [2].

However, some have argued that the government needs to make clearer the relationship between waste and our wallets [3]. Arguably, many people currently view waste reduction, such as recycling, as additional effort which is carried out to reduce environmental degradation. While this is obviously true, it could be argued that to gain more support among the population the relationship between waste and financial incentives should be exploited. For example, people need to be educated about the benefits of generating energy locally, which can then be sold into the national grid. Communities that have established technologies such as anaerobic digesters can also use the heat generated to heat their own homes, providing a direct financial benefit to each householder.

Overall, there seem to be positive measures coming out of the government’s waste policy review. There is always more that can be done and positive moves are being made to address the barriers that are often perceived to waste technologies. The government aims to invest in modern technologies to deal with waste, such as anaerobic digestion, which will help us to catch up with the rest of Europe. The government has also realised that it needs to address the issues and concerns that people have surrounding these technologies [2].

References

[1] The BBC News (2011) [Online]. Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13754206

[2] Government Review of Waste Policy in England 2011 [Online]. Available from: http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb13540-waste-policy-review110614.pdf

[3] The Guardian (2011) [Online]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/jun/14/waste-bin-collection-recycling?INTC