Brits could one day be billed for the weight of their rubbish under proposals to revive a controversial “pay-as-you-throw” (PAYT) system. The idea, likened to a “smart meter for bins”, would see lorries weigh household waste during collection, with charges passed on to residents.
Advocates say it could reduce waste, boost recycling, and even bring down council tax bills. The model has been used successfully in the Netherlands, South Korea and parts of the United States. South Korea, for instance, boasts an 86% recycling rate thanks to a PAYT system that charges households for food waste but makes recycling free.
Britain briefly experimented with the policy in 2005, when 50,000 homes in South Norfolk trialled the scheme. But technical failures – including faulty microchips, inaccurate readings and missed collections – led to chaos, confusion and a 250% surge in fly-tipping.
The trial was swiftly scrapped.
“The technology just didn’t work,” admitted John Fuller, then leader of South Norfolk Council. “If you want to base a tax system on it, it has to work in every bin, in every street, on every day of the year. Otherwise the figures are nonsense.”
Two decades later, however, campaigners told The Telegraph the landscape has changed.
Waste frustrations are at an all-time high, with many councils introducing add-on fees for services such as garden waste.
At the same time, council tax has climbed steeply – from taking 2.4% of the lowest incomes in 2002 to 4.6% in 2021.
Mark Hall, of waste firm Business Waste, argues the policy deserves a second look.
“Government policy is shifting towards a polluter-pays principle,” he said. “If PAYT can lower bills and cut waste, it’s hard to see why people wouldn’t back it, especially in a cost-of-living crisis.”
But cost remains a major stumbling block. Equipping Britain’s ageing fleet of bin lorries with on-board weighing technology could be prohibitively expensive.
Instead, experts suggest simpler models – such as requiring households to buy special bags or stickers, as happens in thousands of US cities.
Supporters insist the benefits could be transformative. Research by the Institute for European Environmental Policy found little evidence of discontent where PAYT has been introduced, with many communities reporting higher support after implementation.
