Introduction of Weight-Based Charges for Domestic Solid Waste Disposal

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects on householder behaviour of the introduction of pay-by-weight as a method of charging households for waste collection. It is well known that, in theory, such charges would reduce the amount of waste collected but whether and how this would apply in an Irish case were questions worth investigating. A case study of the introduction of weight-based charges in West Cork obtained information on the amounts of household waste left out for collection in the year before and the year after the new charging regime was introduced. This body of data on weight of waste was supplemented by information obtained from a questionnaire administered to a representative sample of about 1200 households. The responsiveness to price is calculated as well as the impact of numbers in the household on weight of waste per capita. Attitudes on the important issue of how to finance waste services were obtained by asking respondents about payment methods, including payment through an increase in income tax.