According to new research, just over half of Brits are in favour of introducing taxes to encourage a reduction in households’ carbon footprint.
According to a survey from EPC and energy efficiency platform epIMS, the most-favoured tax of those surveyed was a waste management levy, with a quarter of respondents supportive of a tax on the failure to recycle properly.
Just 44 per cent of UK household waste was recycled in 2022, according to government statistics, with this rate going down instead of improving in England.
While eight environmental taxes exist in the UK, no taxes exist to encourage environmentally friendly behaviour in homes.
“The government has been using tax to disincentivise environmentally harmful behaviour for decades,” COO of epIMS, Craig Cooper, said. “But over this time, the damage caused by our homes has been, by and large, ignored.”
EpIMS also suggested taxes could be applied on the failure to make necessary energy-saving improvements to the home, the installation or use of wood burners and open fires, and water and energy usage.
Green discounts could be applied to households with high energy performance ratings, the company added.
Why is the UK so poor at recycling?
Germany, the best country in the EU for recycling, had a recycling rate of nearly 70 per cent in 2021.
However, it has achieved this without the need for a recycling tax: the country relies on public engagement campaigns, holding manufacturers accountable for waste and easily accessible infrastructure for recycling.
In comparison, the UK has seen its deposit return scheme for bottles delayed for years, with the eventual scheme—coming in a decade after it was announced—excluding glass.
According to Wrap’s 2024 Recycling Tracker, less than one in 10 UK citizens feels “very confident” about what can and cannot be recycled, with the majority—58 per cent—only “mostly confident. “
This lack of knowledge leads to “high levels of missed capture and contamination”, Wrap added.
3.2m tonnes of packaging was put into recycling bins last year, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
Less than half of UK citizens report receiving recycling information from their local council in the past year, while only 41 per cent of citizens in the UK have access to and use a food waste recycling service.
There’s also the concern that a flat recycling tax would unfairly target poorer areas, with residents of wealthier areas often have greater access to recycling services. For 2018-19, a majority – 85 per cent – per cent of deprived local authorities had a household recycling rate below the overall average, according to Guardian analysis.
LGA spokesperson, councillor Adam Hug, has said that improving UK recycling should be a joint effort from producers and councils.
“It is crucial that…councils continue to lead local waste and recycling services, and that the focus is on reducing unnecessary waste in the first place,” he said.