“Chip and bin”

The Government has unveiled results of a Waste Strategy review aimed at increasing recycling. There will be a new system of each bin being chipped and the contents of your bin being measured and householders charged accordingly. This will result in higher costs for those that don’t recycle, and for those that don’t use cloth nappies.

Figures vary, but approximately three billion nappies are sent to landfill in the UK each year. This means that 15% of waste could be accounted for by disposable nappies.

The average family could end up paying around £120 per year, on top of council tax to have their rubbish removed. If a family only puts out one black sack of waste per week then they would be eligible for a small refund!

However, tower blocks and other densely populated metropolitan areas will be exempt, with suburban towns and rural areas bearing the brunt. Lower-income households receiving council tax benefit - often families with young children - could also be exempt, despite generating relatively large quantities of waste with disposable nappies.

Cloth nappies are washed and reused, often with nothing being disposed of in the bin. Many parents may feel forced to use them under the introduction of a new waste charge.

Even without these potential extra charges, a Channel 4 documentary shown last night showed the increase in bacteria and mould levels after waste had been left in a dustbin for two weeks – the time many councils leave between waste collections. Who would want to add to that with soiled disposable nappies?

What do you think?