Privatization of garbage collection at the householder level as a means of encouraging greater diversion of waste to recycling
by Doug Anderson
published in the February 2001 issue of Municipal World
Over the last ten to fifteen years, we have watched as senior levels of government and regulatory agencies have dismantled the monopolies that used to dominate the phone, gas and electrical power industries, always in the name of less government, greater consumer choice and efficiency.
In roughly the same period, most large municipal governments have bounced back and forth from one garbage crisis to another.
I am surprised that nobody has made the connection that garbage collection could benefit from the same approach. Indeed, providing individual choice and charging accordingly would make the system work much better and achieve much higher diversions from conventional landfill.
Everybody accepts that recycling is the answer to our garbage problems; but diversion rates have been stagnant for several years in the 30 – 50 per cent range depending on how much the … More