WHY WASTE TAX IS RUBBISH

30-05-2007

Proposals for a new “pay as you throw rubbish tax” might persuade some in the green lobby that the government is serious about waste - but a new national league table of fly-tipping suggests it’s actually, er, garbage.

According to figures seen by The Stirrer, there were more than 25,000 incidents of unauthorised waste disposal in Birmingham alone in 2005-06; Sandwell topped 3,000 cases, while in Dudley there were 1,100.

Top of the league, though was the London Borough of Wandsworth, which had 166,000 incidents.

This is despite a tough regime of fines and even imprisonment for persistent offenders. Now just imagine how bad the situation might become if people have to pay extra for every KFC Family Bucket they throw in the bin.

Cheaper to chuck it in the hedge or over the field next time you're out, eh? Precisely.

We can confidently expect our throwaway culture to become even worse.

How do we know all this by the way?

West Bromwich MP Tom Watson has been doing some digging and promises to reveal all on his blog shortly. Check out http://www.tom-watson.co.uk/

Can a tax on rubbish be made to work. Or is it, er, rubbish? Leave a comment on the Message Board.