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The proposals come as a new Ipsos MORI poll reveals that two out of three people would prefer a system that rewarded recycling with financial rewards.

The Local Government Association has outlined three schemes which councils in England could find effective in reducing the amount of waste going into landfill. These are:

• A sack based system in which householders buy different sized pre-paid sacks for general household waste similar to schemes for disposing of garden waste.
• A weight based system where wheelie bins are fitted with chips to allow the bins to be weighed when they are loaded onto the vehicle similar to the system currently used for trade waste.
• A volume based system in which households choose from a range of wheelie bin sizes depending on how much waste they think will be generated, and are charged accordingly.

The LGA has also submitted some case studies from Europe which shows how the introduction of these schemes could lead to dramatic falls in household waste, increases in waste separation and higher recycling rates.
Councils in England, and consequently the taxpayer, are facing fines of up to £3 billion over the next four years if they do not meet European Union targets for reducing the amount of waste thrown into landfill.

The LGA wants councils to have the power to introduce initiatives to change householder behaviour by rewarding residents that recycle more but has stressed this must not be a stealth tax and should be a decision for each local authority based on local circumstances and with the support of local people.

Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA's Environment Board, said:
"If councils introduce save-as-you-throw schemes, it will be to promote recycling, not to generate extra cash through an extra stealth tax.

"There will be parts of the country where 'save-as-you-throw' schemes are not appropriate, and the final decision must be made by local councils in response to local need and in consultation with local people.

"Councils are doing everything they can to hold down landfill costs, boost recycling and protect the environment. The unfortunate reality is that we must do more to reduce the amount of waste being thrown into landfill.

"For decades people have been used to throwing their rubbish away without worrying about the consequences. Those days are over. There is now strong public support for schemes that reward people for recycling, and councils should be given the power to introduce these where it is appropriate to do so.

"Evidence from the continent shows 'save-as-you-throw' schemes can reduce waste and boost recycling. Councils and council tax payers are facing fines of up to £3 billion if we do not dramatically reduce the amount of waste thrown into landfill, and so it is vital we look at alternatives to the status quo."

Eric Pickles, the Shadow Communities Secretary said:
"Under the Government's plans for bin taxes, there will be no reduction in council tax. The overall burden of taxation will rise so householders will pay more. Labour Ministers have already been warned that bin taxes will lead to a huge increase in fly-tipping and backyard burning.

"There is more than a whiff of desperation with their bin tax plans if they need to rely on loaded questions. The Government's half-baked plans wouldn't add up to a green measure - they are simply another stealth tax."

The Question - The Results
The LGA commissioned Ipsos MORI to survey 1,028 British adults between 8-10 July 2007. The question asked by Ipsos Mori was:
"Would you support or oppose your council operating a system whereby you pay a reduced council tax rate, and then get charged directly for the amount of household rubbish you produce, so that the more you recycle the less you would pay?"

Sack based system
In this system, households buy different sized pre-paid sacks or special tags to go on ordinary bin bags from their local authority or possibly local shops, for general household waste. This option is more common in urban areas where space prevents households using wheelie bins. This system provides a very clear incentive to reduce waste. Similar systems already operate successfully in England, for example, for garden waste.

Maastricht is a city with 57,450 households, 60% of which are houses and 40% are multi-storey buildings or estates. It introduced a sack based system of waste charging in 2000 to deal with the growth in household waste and encourage optimal reuse. Households can purchase 25/50 litre sacks, priced at €0.69/€1.04, which are collected weekly/fortnightly. Following introduction of the system, the total amount of household waste fell dramatically, described as 'like going back in time 10 years' and waste separation increased from 45% to 65%. Maastricht is now the top municipality in its class for waste separation, provides a service level that is higher than the national average, separates 65% of its waste (compared to a national target of 53%) and is seeing the financial benefits.

Weight based system
In this system, wheelie bins are fitted with chips to allow the bins to be weighed when they are loaded onto the vehicle, much like the system that is currently used for trade waste in the UK. Households are sent a bill (this could be quarterly or even annually) for the amount of non-recyclable waste they throw out. Chips can be fitted to new bins or retro-fitted to existing bins.

Sittard is an authority where just 25% of homes are apartments, so they introduced a weight based system for houses in 2002 to reduce waste and increase recycling. They provide houses with a 2-compartment bin for garden waste and residual waste, which they collect weekly. Since introducing the scheme, general waste is down 41% and dry recyclables up 23%. Sittard estimate the system has resulted in savings of €1.1million per year.

Volume based system
In this system households choose from a range of wheelie bin sizes according to the amount of waste they think they will generate, and are charged accordingly. After set periods of time, households can elect to change bin size, although clearly doing this too frequently would result in unreasonable costs.

Haarlemermeer operates a fortnightly volume based collection system, where residents can purchase bins ranging from 80 litres (€142) to 240 litres (€215). Residents are fined for setting out extra waste. Recycling in the area has increased and the scheme is saving the council money, as it is cheaper to operate than incineration.

Other options include charging by frequency of collection or combinations of weight, volume and frequency.

Importantly, these systems do not operate in isolation. They form part of a comprehensive waste management service, including kerbside recycling schemes, free or low cost home compost schemes, civic amenity sites and bottle banks.