No New Flat Rate Waste Contracts from September 1st!

From September 1st Waste Service Providers will no longer be able to offer customers a Flat Rate Contract for the collection of their waste. They may instead offer the householder four different options.

Option one will be based on a charge per kilo. Option two will be based on a charge per kilo plus a charge per lift.  Option three will be based on weight bands set by the service provider, while option four will offer a weight allowance above which a cost per kilo will apply. All options will also include a Service Charge regardless of the amount of waste collected.

Sounds complicated, and yes it will be if all options are offered by all waste collectors. This I believe will not be the case. Also to be considered will be the price per kilo, per lift or band for each waste type collected. As the objective of the new pricing structure is to incentivise householders to segregate their waste correctly, significant differences in the price per kilo or band or lift for recyclables, food waste and residual waste can be expected. Waste segregation at source, that is in the kitchen,  is a necessity for long term environmental sustainability.

And the introduction of complicated pricing structures may heighten householders awareness that unsegregated waste is of little or no value. Segregated waste on the other hand has value, is reusable and does not necessitate the production of more materials, whose production itself will waste more valuable and diminishing resources.

It makes sense, it always has… however it would appear many householders require financial disincentives or penalties to see it!