Democracy HQ A personal view, by Councillor Steve Morris

The new rates-funded bins will reduce recycling trips to the transfer station and save our family-of-four at least $100-per-year. However, there's zero satisfaction in this saving for me because I know where it's coming from.

Why's it cheaper for us? Because bins for larger families are being subsidised by smaller families forced to pay for the new service. Not only is it unfair and bad for the environment, it's a reverse ‘Robin Hood' tax: taking from the poor to give to the rich.

To avoid the perversity of those that waste more benefiting financially from low-waste residents paying for a rubbish system that's too big for them, I moved that the Council service be a ‘pay-as-you-throw' system using tags like WBOPDC will use.

Under that system, if you're a low rubbish user, you only pay when you put your bin out. The downside, the fixed charge would be higher and those that waste more would pay more but wouldn't that be an incentive to recycle and better for the environment? It'd also allow the private sector to compete with Council.

Senior Council staff opposed my recommendation but following questions, junior Council staff said it would work just as it does for other Councils. Senior staff then assured us ‘pay-as-you-throw' could be adopted a year later. This assurance was sufficient to convince enough Councillors to support the staff recommendation.

It soon appeared a contract with a bin provider had been signed that prevented a pay-as-you-throw system the following year. Two Councillors told me they regretted accepting the staff assurances. Was the elected Council misled and, if so, why?