Bin tax is rubbished
LABOUR’S controversial plan for “pay-as-you-throw” bin taxes was dealt a hammer blow last night as it emerged that a similar scheme in Ireland had led to an increase in landfill, pollution and anti-social behaviour.
A scathing new report by Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency concludes that rather than tackling environmental problems, forcing home owners to pay for the amount of rubbish they put out was making matters worse.
The independent organisation warned of serious public health and environmental problems caused by the so-called eco-tax on household rubbish.
Its study reveals:
More than 205,000 tons of household rubbish went uncollected in 2007, of which “unknown quantities” were burnt in back gardens.
Home owners taking matters into their own hands by burning rubbish were causing more environmental pollution by releasing cancer-causing dioxins into the air and creating fire risks.
Hundreds more households were illegally dumping their bin bags at local authority recycling banks, forcing many councils to remove the centres because of health fears caused by anti-social behaviour.
And far from reducing landfill, the levels are rising. The report concludes that “poor segregation of waste” was leading to more plastic bags ending up in landfill sites.
Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said: “There is now growing evidence of serious environmental fallout from new bin taxes.
“As the experience of the Irish Republic is showing, bin taxes are leading to illegal dumping, backyard burning and anti-social behaviour. Waste going to landfill is rising due to serious contamination as people hide their rubbish in recycling bins.
“Bin taxes will harm the local environment but Gordon Brown is trying to peddle them with eco-spin. This is another cynical Labour attempt to tax families more by stealth but with a thick coat of greenwash applied.
“The Government should be working instead with councils to extend waste and recycling collections and make it easier for all households to go green.”
The study raises the spectre of a mass increase in illegal fly-tipping across Britain, which is already at record levels. Ministers have also been warned of the potential to fuel ugly neighbour disputes with some home owners trying to sneak their rubbish bags into the bins of others.
The agency report warns: “It is without question that some householders engage in illegal practices such as backyard burning or fly-tipping of household waste. Unknown quantities are burned in domestic fires within the home leading to environmental pollution, chimney fire risk and loss of a resource for recycling.”
The report reveals more than 40 per cent of home owners had experienced rubbish being hidden in their bins from other homes and 42 per cent of those questioned admitted backyard burning of household rubbish.
The agency estimates that 73 per cent of all dioxins in the air in Ireland come from unregulated bonfires and it warns that the “alarming” figures may underestimate the scale of the problem because home owners are reluctant to admit to illegal practices.
Nevertheless, the Government here is pressing ahead with five pilot schemes next year.
A shortlist will be drawn up from 16 councils in rural, town and city areas which have expressed an interest in the trial.
The system is controversial as it involves installing microchips in bins to monitor how much rubbish is thrown away.
Ministers say the scheme would reward environmentally friendly householders who take the time to separate and recycle their rubbish but the Conservatives insist the eco-tax will leave the average family paying between £50 and £100 a year more.
