How Dutch tackle waste charging

BBC News

A group representing councils in England and Wales has set out three "pay-as-you-throw" schemes which it believes would be effective in reducing waste and increasing recycling.

The Local Government Association says such schemes have been successful elsewhere in Europe, including in the Netherlands:

SACK-BASED SYSTEM

This involves households buying different sized pre-paid sacks or special tags to go on ordinary bin bags for general household waste.

Maastricht is a Dutch city with 57,450 households, 60% of which are houses and 40% flats.

It introduced a sack-based system of waste charging in 2000. Households can purchase 25/50 litre sacks, priced at 0.69/1.04 euros (47p/71p), which are collected weekly/fortnightly.

Following the introduction of the system, the total amount of household waste fell and the recycling rate increased from 45% to 65% (compared to a national target of 53%).

WEIGHT-BASED SYSTEM

In this system, wheelie bins are fitted with chips to allow bins to be weighed when they are loaded onto refuse trucks - a system currently used for trade waste in the UK.

Households are sent a bill (quarterly or annually) for the amount of non-recyclable waste they throw out.

In the south eastern authority of Sittard, where just 25% of homes are apartments, they introduced a weight-based system for houses in 2002.

As a result, general waste is down 41% and dry recyclables up 23%. The council estimates the system has resulted in savings of 1.1million euros (£748,000) per year.

VOLUME-BASED SYSTEM

Households choose from a range of wheelie bin sizes according to the amount of waste they think they will generate, and are charged accordingly.

The city of Haarlemmermeer, near Amsterdam, operates a fortnightly volume-based collection system, where residents can purchase bins ranging from 80 litres (142 euros/£97) to 240 litres (215 euros/£146).

Residents are fined for setting out extra waste. Recycling in the area has increased and the scheme is saving the council money, as it is cheaper to operate than incineration.

*Figures supplied by the Local Government Association