For a while now there has been talk of taxing people for the amount of waste they throw. It is open to a lot of questions. It is an extra tax. There is an element of "spying" on people (tagging their bins etc). Generally a nanny state feel to the thing. So turning it on its head and rewarding people for how little they throw seems a good idea.
I am not averse to the use of a stick, there are times when it is useful, but I greatly prefer the carrot. Especially when it comes to money. I don't think that taxing acts as a great incentive. It makes people moan, it makes them worse off, it makes them resentful, but it doesn't often alter behaviour. However giving people money to do something is effective. A tax has to overcome the inertia, but getting something for nothing (or very little effort) has a momentum of its own.
I can see this working and I suspect it is, for once, an extrememly practical solution to a very important problem.
1 comment:
Someone needs t find a way to prevent people just dumping their rubbish in other people's bins. It has been known for our bin to come back fuller than it was when we put it out thanks to our neighbours.
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