Chip and bin wheels closer

UK households could soon be throwing their rubbish into high tech wheelie bins if local authorities are given the go-ahead to charge for the amount of waste produced.

The proposal is one of a number of suggestions put forward by the Local Government Association (LGA) on how councils could run waste charging schemes if they get the green light from the government.

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The system could work by wheelie bins being fitted with microchips which would record the weight of waste when it is collected.

Using this information, local authorities could then charge households according to the weight of the rubbish they dispose of.

Households would receive a bill quarterly or annually for the non-recyclable waste thrown away. This system is already used in the UK to deal with trade waste.

Dutch local authority Sittard introduced the system in 2002 and the scheme has reduced the amount of general rubbish by 41 per cent and increased the amount of recyclable material by 23 per cent.

Sittard estimates this has resulted in savings of around €1.1m per year.

Other options put forward by the LGA include a volume-based system where the size of bin determines how much households are charged with fines for excess waste.

People could also be charged for frequency of collection or combinations of weight, volume and frequency, with fines for leaving out extra waste.

An LGA spokesman told silicon.com it is likely waste charging schemes won't appear until late 2008 or early 2009, as the government will need to pass the necessary legislation.

A recent LGA commissioned Ipsos MORI poll of more than 1,000 UK adults found 38 per cent 'strongly support' the idea of households being charged for the amount of rubbish they produce in return for reduced council tax rates.