[LINK] Surveillance in extremis

[Karl Auer]

> ...separating paper from containers for recycling doesn't work either

Funny, it works in LOTS of other countries.

The way many countries do it is not by weight. They just sell garbage
bags. The more garbage you produce, the more you will pay in garbage
bags. If it isn't in a sanctioned garbage bag (the pay-for bags are
emblazoned with the local authority's name and logo), it will not be
picked up. If non-sanctioned bags are found in skips and things, they
are opened and the contents used to track down the malefactor, who is
then fined heavily. The only way to avoid this is to anonymise your
garbage. However, since the authorities can and do go as far as
fingerprinting the bags (!) and staking out repeat sources, very few
people get away with it for long. The penalties then include the costs
of the stakeouts...

> there has to be a benefit passed onto users...reduce your waste and pay 
> lower rates...but it is more likely that it is the opposite...reduce 
> your waste, but higher rates for systems to monitor waste and which 
> won't work because those doing the right thing will continue to do so 
> and the others will circumvent the measures - if the systems work at all.

The above system works extremely well, especially as paying consumers
take a very dim view of non-payers. The benefit is very direct - less
garbage, less cost. It is extremely simple for consumers, so it works.

The best way to tackle waste, however, is one that few places if any
have had the courage to implement, namely a requirement on manufacturers
to take absolute responsibility for their products and packaging. This
would be three pronged - you (the producer) MUST accept all packaging
and the product itself back for disposal at no cost (the cost can be
built into the sell price though). You MUST provide reasonable means for
the return of your packaging and your product, and YOU are responsible
for any of your discarded products or packaging. For imports, read
"importer" for "producer". Only if another person - a specific person -
can be not only shown to be responsible but actually be held
responsible, can the producer escape that last one (so littering by
others is still an offence).

Production of anonymous products would need to be made illegal - the
producer's name must be in the substance of the item and the packaging
(embossed, watermarked, whatever). The sale of anonymous products would
also need to be made illegal. The interesting thing is that pretty
water-tight laws could be drafted relatively easily (trivial compared
with the current laws and regulations covering product identity and
packaging).

There would be a EXTREMELY rapid move by manufacturers of all stripes to
biodegradable packaging, deposit systems and above all LESS packaging.
And it would probably cause a renaissance in local production, and many,
many new markets.

Regards, K.

-- 
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Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/                  +61-428-957160 (mob)