Pay-as-you-throw 'could be massive incentive'

A pay-as-you-throw scheme could be a massive incentive for people to produce less waste, but only if the idea is communicated effectively.

That is the opinion of environmental organisation Waste Watch, which said that people are already used to paying for gas, electricity and water through a metered system.

Spokesperson Catherine Laitner said that for schemes such as these to be effective, people need to be reassured that it is a fair system and they will be rewarded for recycling more.

"If people are brought round to the benefits of the idea that if you recycle more you'll have to pay less because you will be throwing away less, then I think everyone will be able to see that its an incentive to that," she added.

Figures from Waste Watch show that the UK produces more than 434 million tonnes of household waste, with the average person throwing away seven times their body weight annually.