"Pay as you throw" bins to be introduced?

Imagine if governments start to clock how much waste people create. Or even start to charge people for it.

If that sounds a bit too much like a nanny state to you, then check out this…

Using microchips in bins, there are talks about whether the government could start charging people for the amount of rubbish they create.

While this would undoubtedly put a sour face on a few folk, it would force packaging-happy supermarkets to watch how they wrap things.

The Guardian has a bit more:

“Wheelie bins fitted with microchips and pre-paid sacks for general household waste could be introduced to make householders pay for their rubbish under plans outlined by council leaders today.

People could also be charged according to the size of the wheelie bin they choose under the “pay to throw” proposals, put forward by the Local Government Association.

They are designed to encourage recycling and reduce the amount of waste being thrown into landfill.

The LGA said the measures – which it has called “save as you throw” – would not be used by local authorities as a stealth tax to raise extra cash, and that any scheme should be supported by residents. “

Then again, Greenbang wonders if it could open up a black market for the waste trade. Or maybe even open the door for the return of the rag and bone man…