Homeowners could be fined over ‘poor’ recycling
Friday, 19th March 2010
Under government proposals expected this week, homeowners could be fined up to £1,000 for failing to comply with a string of new rules on refuse and waste management.
Following a 12 week consultation, those that fail to place rubbish in the proper bins could fall foul of the law, as traditional black bins are scrapped for a mixture of new containers, including slop buckets.
Garden waste, plastics, food, paper and card will need to be individually recycled under the plans, which have been proposed by Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn.
"We have made good progress, but we can go further," Mr Benn told The Guardian. "We're sending a lot of waste currently to landfill which really doesn't make sense, one because it's costing money because of the landfill levy, two because it produces emissions … and three, there are people out there prepared to pay you for materials."
Those that choose to ignore the new system and properly sort their household waste could be hit with large penalties, but critics have accused the government of failing to acknowledge those already struggling with existing bills.
“We need to divert waste from landfill and more food and farm waste should be used to generate energy, but the way to achieve that is to encourage households by rewarding them to recycle,” argued Shadow Environment spokesman, Nick Herbert.
To encourage businesses to act, the government is also planning to increase landfill tax as well as introducing tax bands, in order to “build sustainability from the start”, added Mr Benn.
The Environment Department (Defra) and the Welsh Assembly are looking at the case for landfill restrictions.
“This is not about fines for householders - we cannot keep on sending waste to landfill, and it is important that councils work with communities to reduce waste, reuse it where possible, and recycle more,” added a Defra spokesman.
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