Ready for chip and bin?

The issue of "pay as you tip" is a hot topic at the moment, especially given the media focus on the concept of installing microchips in wheeled bins.

"Pay as you tip" is not currently in operation anywhere in this country as all local authorities have a statutory duty to collect household waste and this service is one of the many that householders pay for indirectly through their council tax.

Given the scarcity of landfill sites and the difficulties faced in providing more waste disposal facilities over the coming years, it is not unreasonable to suppose that eventually a system of paying for waste disposal as a separate utility may be given the go ahead by a future government.

How would this operate? As with other charging schemes of this nature, there needs to be a practical way of measuring how much is owed. Commercial waste is normally charged by the amount of waste produced and the number of collections required during a given time.

This is a system that is also commonplace in other countries for household waste.

In Washington State in the USA, householders pay by the amount of waste they produce.

For example a household generating only one wheeled bin per fortnight pays the minimum rate, while a household generating two wheeled bins per week will pay for this additional service.

Recycling collections are free of charge, giving households a financial incentive to recycle as much as possible.

A more controversial method of gathering information about the amount of waste generated is to fit a wheeled bin with a microchip.

Many authorities are using this technology already for a variety of reasons.

The chip can relay information such as weight data, address details and the number of times it is used.

Providing information with this detail can be valuable for a local authority to determine the style of operation required for a given area, whether collection rounds ought to be altered to equalise workloads between crews and how many people take part in the recycling scheme.

As the bin is tied to an individual property, the chip can also help in the tracing of the bin if it goes missing.

Much of this information is already collected manually, but it is very time-consuming and not very accurate.

Ultimately if "pay as you tip" is introduced, this technology could be used as a form of metering each household.

"Pay as you tip" is not without its problems, since unlike water, gas or electricity metering, measuring the amount of waste a household produces is a more inexact science.

There are all sorts of devious means to get round the charge, including using a neighbour's bin, storing on your property, using a licensed waste site or even fly-tipping it.

If this policy is introduced it will be interesting to see how the government envisage tackling these obvious ways to avoid paying.