Bin bugging

[lewisa]

BBC NEWS | UK | Bugged rubbish bins 'will charge'

Personally, im all for this, providing (a) councils provide lockable bins and (b) the percentage of council tax currently charged for waste is removed from the bill.

Of course, (b) will not happen, so I'll be crusading against it.

Ive got no problem with paying for my un-recyclables to be removed on a metered basis, but I refuse to pay twice.

[Owl-Light]

Complicated issue. Saw in on the morning news myself. How do you get people to seriously think about the rubbish their habits produce? It's one way. But people, being people, it could lead to a real increase in fly tipping. Not sure - I need to go away and think on it somemore.

[henrya]

There is no way that using 'bugged bins' that councils could charge individual households for the amount of rubbish they throw away. Lockable bins wouldn't work - it would be too easy to lose the key, or get a copy of a master key so you could put your rubbish in anyone's bin. So, that means the bin men would have to collect your rubbish when you were at home to sign for it. The administration costs would be astronomical! Don't worry - this is a non story - it isn't going to happen!

henrya

[speckled wood]

Originally Posted by henrya

- this is a non story - it isn't going to happen!

henrya

I well remember this being said about rail privatisation, don't kid "yourself charge as you throw" is a real possibility and could well happen, but really we have only ourselves to blame.

The borough council where I live is one of two local councils (the other I believe is in Essex)who are already using bin bugs, and there has been much local panic along with stirring from the local press.

[lewisa]

@henrya

It's been happening with some commercial contracts for a while already. The systems and techology is not in question.

I have two contracts, one for general waste that goes to landfill(not weighed), one for shredded paper/card ready for recycling(is weighed)

Quite ironic really, you'd expect it to be the other way round.


On a side note, we did a not-to-scientific study on our waste and it is basically more expensive to have waste collected for recycling than it is to lanfill it. Solving those problems on a national scale is whats really needed, but thats a whole different topic.

[henrya]

No, no, no. Charging for individual households isn't going to happen! It can't. There is no way that it can without astronomical administration costs. If you know how it can be done, explain!

I accept it happens commercially - but I expect you are using commercial collectors who collect when the waste producers are on site.

henrya

[lewisa]

How do you pay for your gas, electricity, telephone, pay-per-view, income tax, national insurance, council tax?

Hmm, well I dont know the ins and outs of it, but I'll attempt to answer how it can be done -

A unique ID is attached to your bin
It is automatically wieghed when loaded into the truck.
SMS technology is used to immediately inform a centralised database how much you have disposed of
A monthly bill is issued

There will be a large cost associated with the capital expenditure in setting the system up, but once up and running there will be very little adminstrative involvement(not counting the collection of monies, thats about the only area requiring serious amounts of administration that I can see)

It seems quite straightforward to me.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by lewisa

How do you pay for your gas, electricity, telephone, pay-per-view, income tax, national insurance, council tax?

Hmm, well I dont know the ins and outs of it, but I'll attempt to answer how it can be done -

A unique ID is attached to your bin
It is automatically wieghed when loaded into the truck.
SMS technology is used to immediately inform a centralised database how much you have disposed of
A monthly bill is issued

There will be a large cost associated with the capital expenditure in setting the system up, but once up and running there will be very little adminstrative involvement(not counting the collection of monies, thats about the only area requiring serious amounts of administration that I can see)

It seems quite straightforward to me.

I think the complications come in if the bins are to be locked, - which presumably they'd have to be? How else then would you prevent your neighbours from putting their rubbish into your bin

[lewisa]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

I think the complications come in if the bins are to be locked, - which presumably they'd have to be? How else then would you prevent your neighbours from putting their rubbish into your bin

From what ive read the councils that have/are issuing the bins to date have not been lockable.

Thats my biggest concern in the system.

Im not sure I accept that the inclusion of locks would cause administrative problems though. The exclusion of them could though.

[speckled wood]

Originally Posted by henrya

No, no, no. Charging for individual households isn't going to happen! It can't. There is no way that it can without astronomical administration costs. If you know how it can be done, explain!

henrya

Having until recently worked for my local council (June 2004 to July 2006), this issue is at the front of the agenda, the main topic at evevy staff briefing is the issue of recycling and how to reduce domestic waste, and the determination that this will be done is there and very real. The issue of admin costs is never mentioned, it simply talked of in the terms that it can and will be done, the issue of knock-on things such as fly-tipping is not taken into account other than the community wardens that are employed by the local council will focus on this issue. Of course the issue that your neighbour might try to put rubbish into your bins is that you yourself, will be expected to stop them from doing this.