DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (Information
Bulletin ref : 303/08) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 15
September 2008
The Government is
seeking further views on draft guidance for local authorities
wishing to pilot schemes to cut household waste through financial incentives.
Defra consulted informally on six pieces of guidance in June this
year, covering application and designation, technical issues,
finance, coverage and disadvantaged groups, fly tipping
prevention, and recycling service.
Further formal consultation is now taking place on the recycling
service guidance. This has a different legal status to the other
guidance, since the legislation makes it a precondition that any
authority running an incentive pilot has a "good recycling
service" in place. The definition of a 'good'
service proposed in the guidance applies only to the incentive
pilots, and is not intended as a more general definition.
Comments and any queries should be sent to waste.incentives@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Updated versions of the guidance will be published once the
Climate Change Bill has received Royal Assent.
Notes to Editors
1. The draft consultation is available on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/recycling-service/index.htm.
2. In response to requests from local authorities, Defra
announced in November 2007 that it would allow up to five local
authorities in England to pilot incentive schemes. The first
pilots, which will be subject to approval by the Environment
Secretary, could start from April 2009.
3. Waste incentive schemes can reward or charge people according
to the amount of black bag rubbish a household produces. Schemes
could be rebate-only, offering rewards to those producing the
least waste, or could be charge-and-rebate based, levying charges
on those who do not do their bit. Schemes must be 'revenue
neutral', so any money raised through charges must be paid
back to residents as rewards. Local authorities would not be able
to keep any of the revenue themselves.
4. A summary of responses to a 2007 consultation on waste
incentives is at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/incentives/index.htm.
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