More On Unintended Consequences

I was ruminating when putting out the bins for the kerbside collection. I mean, it's pretty routine, so what else are you going to do?

The local council has recently set up broader collection system: a red-top bin for land-fill-destined rubbish, green for organic waste and yellow for recycling, with a blue bin for glass. They are collected on a complex schedule that I've programmed in to my phone's calendar as it's the only way I'll get it right.

I buy goods with en eye to what can be done with the packaging, and on current performance I'm going to put out my red bin out once every 5 to 6 months. Given the bi-weekly collection, and becasue of the flat charge made in my rates, I'm paying 10 to 13 times the rate for my rubbish collection than someone who fills it weekly. 

I also compost so the green bin is unused, gives me no value at all, and leaves me with the conundrum of what to do with a 120 litre bin filled with nothing but air that seems to be permanently in the way - as are all the others.

The unintended, but easily foreseeable, consequence is that throwing things away is being incentivised by the perceived loss we take in not getting value, and the thoughtful consumers wind up subsidising those who don't care. The old rubbish bag solution - where you had to pay per bag - incentivised thoughtful consumption.

RFID tags for pay as you throw are common in the commercial waste industry, and are a cheap solution - so why not apply that to domestic waste collection to give an incentive to throw away less.

The weirdest thing is that there are council staff going about, poking in to bins to see that the right things go in to the right bin. Imagine the family conversation...

"What do you do for a living, dad?"

"Uh, I'm in the rubbish police."