Charging for domestic waste in England: Combining environmental and equity considerations

Waste reduction is generally environmentally preferable to recycling because it avoids the use of resources in the first place, rather than recycling them afterwards. It can also be cheaper in the long term, although bringing it about does involve costs. Variable waste charging is widely held to be the most viable way to bring about a waste-reducing change in consumer behaviour, but it is currently illegal in the UK, although the policy is now under review. Concerns have been expressed about possible regressive effects of variable waste charging on poorer households. Using data from South Norfolk District Council, the paper analyses the distributional implications of a simple system of variable waste charging by weight and proposes a scheme for England that would be designed to avoid leading to additional net costs for the poorest members of society.