A
andreapalladio
Guest
For the most part, the city isn't involved with garbage collection from apartments. It's taken care of by private contractors hired by the landlord or condo corporation.
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B
building babel
Guest
Some people get by without producing any garbage, apparently. There was an article in the NY Times a couple of weeks ago about one ecologically obsessive young couple and their offspring who went so green they didn't even use toilet paper. It didn't say whether they were ever invited back to their friends' homes.
Most of the garbage I put out is plastic wrapping that can't be recycled, dust from the vacuum cleaner bag ( which is 90% babel anyway ) that isn't allowed in the green bin, and the occasional light bulb.
Most of the garbage I put out is plastic wrapping that can't be recycled, dust from the vacuum cleaner bag ( which is 90% babel anyway ) that isn't allowed in the green bin, and the occasional light bulb.
J
Junctionist
Guest
What a great incentive to dump garbage in parks/laneways!
What I hate is that there's so much packaging you can't recycle, such as plastic wrapping. Can you recycle plastic shells from packaging?
I think that with the new tax laws, goods with more packaging that cannot be recycled (or simply more packaging than necessary) should be taxed. Less material used, less to throw away.
One final question about the proposal. It's a monthly charge, but what if one week I don't put out any garbage? What if my can is always half full? Do I pay less?
What I hate is that there's so much packaging you can't recycle, such as plastic wrapping. Can you recycle plastic shells from packaging?
I think that with the new tax laws, goods with more packaging that cannot be recycled (or simply more packaging than necessary) should be taxed. Less material used, less to throw away.
One final question about the proposal. It's a monthly charge, but what if one week I don't put out any garbage? What if my can is always half full? Do I pay less?
A
Admiral Beez
Guest
Re: Re: Star: City ponders garbage fees
In Western Europe, manufacturers of many consumer goods must take back the packaging it came in. For example, if you buy a TV, the manufacturer must accept the return of the packaging. This alone would cut down on some of the excess.
The manufacturers will simply add this cost to their pricing, and since most consumer goods are similiarly packaged, no one wins. I suggest that non-recycable or non-biodegradeable, or excessive packaging be outlawed not taxed.I think that with the new tax laws, goods with more packaging that cannot be recycled (or simply more packaging than necessary) should be taxed. Less material used, less to throw away.
In Western Europe, manufacturers of many consumer goods must take back the packaging it came in. For example, if you buy a TV, the manufacturer must accept the return of the packaging. This alone would cut down on some of the excess.
U
unimaginative2
Guest
Re: Re: Star: City ponders garbage fees
Belgium's rubbish solution
By John Andrew
BBC local government correspondent
Councils in England could soon be allowed to charge residents for the amount of rubbish they throw away. But what effect have "pay as you throw" systems had in other countries?
Lokeren's paying system was unpopular with residents at first
When I visited the Flanders town of Lokeren - half-way between Antwerp and Ghent - I was following in the footsteps of environment minister Ben Bradshaw.
He went with a team of officials last year to see how this part of Belgium recycles more than 70% of its household waste.
In Lokeren itself, the rate is nearly 80% - more than three times that in England as a whole. So how do the Flemish do it?
Not long ago the cost of rubbish collection and disposal was "hidden" in the main local tax - as it is in Britain.
But a few years ago the Flemish moved to a system where people pay a separate annual waste fee. In Lokeren, it's set at 80 euros (£56).
On top of that, they pay variable charges based on the weight and volume of waste they leave for collection.
Chipped bin
The idea is to encourage people to produce less waste and recycle more.
For the keenest recyclers, the total final bill for the year including the fixed charge can be as little as £70.
Suspicious householders even weighed their bins on their bathroom scales because they didn't trust the council's measurement
For those who don't control their waste, it can climb to nearly £180.
The bins are weighed before and after they're emptied on the truck and the weights recorded in the cab.
The system also reads a microchip under the bin lid which identifies it as belonging to that household.
Some papers have dubbed this the "spy in the bin", but it can't see what you throw away, it merely confirms that the bin is yours.
Fly-tipping fears
At first, some families were hostile.
Suspicious householders even weighed their bins on their bathroom scales because they didn't trust the council's measurement.
Compost heaps can help reduce the amount of waste
Now, though, the vast majority accept the system as the best way of encouraging recycling and helping the environment.
Although people were given the chance to buy locks for their bins to stop neighbours dumping their rubbish in them, only 300 out of 40,000 households asked for one.
There was no significant rise in fly-tipping, and where illegal dumps did spring up the council quickly pounced on them and put up warning notices.
Chicken solution
One family I met said the payment-by-weight system had changed their behaviour.
They now tend to buy food with less packaging, like fresh fruit and vegetables.
Councils are under enormous pressure to reduce their waste mountain
And because they are also charged for food and garden waste - though at a lower rate than other rubbish - they avoid using the green bin at all through a mixture of composting and using chickens, which gobble up much of their left-over food.
The local authority has even arranged with local poultry dealers to give discounts on hens bought for this purpose.
Dirk Strubbe, who runs municipal waste services for six Flemish councils, admitted there was some resistance to payment by weight when it was first proposed.
He emphasised that the public must be on board first.
"A large communication project has to be established to convince the population before you begin pay-as-you-throw," he said.
Pilot schemes
The British government is expected to publish its long-awaited waste strategy review soon.
There's speculation it may talk about giving councils in England the power to introduce variable waste charging.
Some councils are already piloting the technology.
Given that the tax on dumping in landfill is increasing by leaps and bounds - Chancellor Gordon Brown announcing another increase of £8 a ton in his Budget - councils are under enormous pressure to reduce their waste mountain.
So it wouldn't be surprising if, given the chance, some councils follow the lead countries like Belgium have given.
Belgium's rubbish solution
By John Andrew
BBC local government correspondent
Councils in England could soon be allowed to charge residents for the amount of rubbish they throw away. But what effect have "pay as you throw" systems had in other countries?
Lokeren's paying system was unpopular with residents at first
When I visited the Flanders town of Lokeren - half-way between Antwerp and Ghent - I was following in the footsteps of environment minister Ben Bradshaw.
He went with a team of officials last year to see how this part of Belgium recycles more than 70% of its household waste.
In Lokeren itself, the rate is nearly 80% - more than three times that in England as a whole. So how do the Flemish do it?
Not long ago the cost of rubbish collection and disposal was "hidden" in the main local tax - as it is in Britain.
But a few years ago the Flemish moved to a system where people pay a separate annual waste fee. In Lokeren, it's set at 80 euros (£56).
On top of that, they pay variable charges based on the weight and volume of waste they leave for collection.
Chipped bin
The idea is to encourage people to produce less waste and recycle more.
For the keenest recyclers, the total final bill for the year including the fixed charge can be as little as £70.
Suspicious householders even weighed their bins on their bathroom scales because they didn't trust the council's measurement
For those who don't control their waste, it can climb to nearly £180.
The bins are weighed before and after they're emptied on the truck and the weights recorded in the cab.
The system also reads a microchip under the bin lid which identifies it as belonging to that household.
Some papers have dubbed this the "spy in the bin", but it can't see what you throw away, it merely confirms that the bin is yours.
Fly-tipping fears
At first, some families were hostile.
Suspicious householders even weighed their bins on their bathroom scales because they didn't trust the council's measurement.
Compost heaps can help reduce the amount of waste
Now, though, the vast majority accept the system as the best way of encouraging recycling and helping the environment.
Although people were given the chance to buy locks for their bins to stop neighbours dumping their rubbish in them, only 300 out of 40,000 households asked for one.
There was no significant rise in fly-tipping, and where illegal dumps did spring up the council quickly pounced on them and put up warning notices.
Chicken solution
One family I met said the payment-by-weight system had changed their behaviour.
They now tend to buy food with less packaging, like fresh fruit and vegetables.
Councils are under enormous pressure to reduce their waste mountain
And because they are also charged for food and garden waste - though at a lower rate than other rubbish - they avoid using the green bin at all through a mixture of composting and using chickens, which gobble up much of their left-over food.
The local authority has even arranged with local poultry dealers to give discounts on hens bought for this purpose.
Dirk Strubbe, who runs municipal waste services for six Flemish councils, admitted there was some resistance to payment by weight when it was first proposed.
He emphasised that the public must be on board first.
"A large communication project has to be established to convince the population before you begin pay-as-you-throw," he said.
Pilot schemes
The British government is expected to publish its long-awaited waste strategy review soon.
There's speculation it may talk about giving councils in England the power to introduce variable waste charging.
Some councils are already piloting the technology.
Given that the tax on dumping in landfill is increasing by leaps and bounds - Chancellor Gordon Brown announcing another increase of £8 a ton in his Budget - councils are under enormous pressure to reduce their waste mountain.
So it wouldn't be surprising if, given the chance, some councils follow the lead countries like Belgium have given.
B
building babel
Guest
Re: Re: Star: City ponders garbage fees
My mother, who is downsizing, says that in England in the age of recycling it is becoming increasingly difficult to dispose of unwanted "stuff" for free. Charity shops, for instance, are getting more picky about what they accept because unscrupulous people were dumping garbage in neatly-tied bags at their doors, instead of paying to have it taken away.
My mother, who is downsizing, says that in England in the age of recycling it is becoming increasingly difficult to dispose of unwanted "stuff" for free. Charity shops, for instance, are getting more picky about what they accept because unscrupulous people were dumping garbage in neatly-tied bags at their doors, instead of paying to have it taken away.
A
Admiral Beez
Guest
I can support a pay as you use plan for Toronto's garbage as long as the city reduces my property tax by removing the now-included garbage collection costs.
Otherwise we'll end up with a situation like we had when the GST was introduced, wherein the then inforce but hidden VAT was removed, but prices did not drop, and then the GST was added onto the price.
Otherwise we'll end up with a situation like we had when the GST was introduced, wherein the then inforce but hidden VAT was removed, but prices did not drop, and then the GST was added onto the price.