Paid to recycle

Love him or hate him or just find him amusing, I read with interest that Boris Johnson is advocating a positive encouragement to recycling in the environmental manifesto that is a part of his candidature for election as mayor of London.

He is inspired by schemes such as that run by RecycleBank in the USA that offer financial rewards for recyclers rather than forcing recycling through fining, charging and taxing. It seems to me that the current policy of the UK government to encourage recycling mainly through financial penalties is woefully negative. To be positively encouraged, rather than threatened with punishment would make a refreshing change.

Whilst the need to increase levels of recycling is obvious to all who think about it, I’m certain (but without evidence) that those people who are likely to recycle without (dis)incentives already do and that therefore the only way forward is to provide incentives. If schemes like these can be made to work, then to me, a positive approach is better than a negative one every time.

Thanks Boris for bringing such incentives onto the agenda … just shame you’re as hopping mad as a box of frogs!