Bin Your Rubbish Ideas! (Photo: Aylin Yazan)

The UK is set to introduce a rubbish idea - the "pay as you throw" scheme. Whilst the government's efforts to reduce garbage are commendable, their ideas aren't: businesses will still escape from their responsibility to rethink how their production impacts the environment.

Local authorities are planning to fit microchips to bins so that households producing more trash can be taxed more. The municipal bins would be weighed, and the chips would be used to identify where the trash came from, and residents would be charged according to the amount of waste they generate.

While green residents may like the idea, some households have shown their resistance and about 25,000 chips have been removed by people who dislike the idea of being under surveillance – their waste under close watch.

There is already massive public resentment at the way working families and pensioners are being punished by punitive levels of council tax, and now one faces the prospect of new rubbish taxes on top. Besides that, households will now have a criminal record if they fail to pay for their garbage or place it in the wrong place. The only escape is to throw your garbage into your neighbour's bag.

To make this nation a zero-waste country by 2020 and not a headache for those who can't afford to pay taxes or fines, I have a few suggestions:

Penalize retailers and businesses who continue to generate highly packaged or unrecyclable products. It seems ridiculous that local authorities are perpetually hounding householders, while businesses producing the rubbish are never questioned. Companies such as Tetra Pak should be held responsible for their unrecyclable multi-layered beverage cartons, which manufactures half of the four billion cartons consumed annually in this country. The government can't hold a consumer responsible for trashing a product with hard-to-recycle packaging, where is the justice in that?

Another option is simply to limit garbage collections. If councils collect garbage once a week, they should make it once a fortnight. This policy is sure to prompt people to limit the amount of trash they produce, or face rubbish piling up in their own houses.

The government needs to find more ways of recycling products. The UK, which recycles a quarter of its waste, is the third-worst recycling nation in the EU. Perhaps it is time the government took some tips off their neighbouring
countries like Germany and the Netherlands that recycle 70% of their waste.

Althoug households shouldn't pay as they throw, they can reduce waste in other ways:

- Get a compost bin if you can. According to government statistics, food waste forms over 27% of the average household bin's waste.

- Avoid trashing things like plastic bags and plastic jars – try to reuse them.

- Try to use products that can be recycled or have recycling packaging.

Rather than introducing a `pay as you throw` scheme and looking for ways to dig more money out of the pockets of citizens, the Labour Party should try something more innovative. And for Britons, to escape these charges, they
will have to prove they are responsible citizens. It is time we all got our act together and bin the rubbish ideas.

Clothes-free and Car-free! (Photo:WNBR)

Over 1,000 naked cyclists are expected to gather on June 8 and 9 to ride through the streets of London, Brighton, Manchester, York and Southampton for World Naked Bike Ride Weekend next month.

Most of us are trying to contribute towards saving the earth one way or another, but some more committed individuals like Carlos Pinha are taking a bolder approach to convey their message. He has taken part in the World Naked Bike Ride every year since 2004, when it first started.

The World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) which takes place in 50 countries worldwide, will take place in England for the fourth year in a row.

The UK rides are part of a growing international movement of annual protests against oil dependency and car culture. Not only that, they are also a unique celebration of the body and the bike.

"For many people, the irrefutable evidence of man-made climate change is causing them to think again about the impact modern forms of transport have on the environment," said Martin Ireland, press officer for London WNBR. Riding under the slogan "real rights for bikes", participants cycle naked to highlight the vulnerability of cyclists on
city streets and to draw attention to the destructive effects of car culture, he added.

The London event alone is likely to attract between 1,000 - 1,250 participants, setting a new record for naked protest. The 2006 ride was the largest naked protest in British history, with more than 800 participants cycling through the streets of the capital for over two hours. Debut rides in Brighton, York and Manchester last year were attended by an impressive 160, 60 and 30 riders respectively, according to WNBR`s website.

The participation "should be to alert people of the fact that everyone needs to change and opt for other modes of transport for environmental benefits" said Pinha.

The London Naked Bike Ride is making specific demands: cycle-only zones in cities, real rights for cyclists, safer streets, separate two-way cycle lanes and a ban on car advertising, said Ireland.

Besides the feel-good factor associated with participating in an event for a good cause, the ride offers participants an enjoyable "naked sightseeing experience", as they cycle past a number of London's most famous landmarks. As in previous years, cycle-mounted police will facilitate the ride and provide traffic control.

Rides in Manchester, York and Southampton will take placeon the 8th June, the day before the London ride begins. The Brighton and Hove ride starts on the morning of Saturday 9 June at 10am. The rides are timed to allow participants to attend locally and join the London ride at Hyde Park Corner at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

A previous rider, 28-year old Emma Jackson said: "The ride is fun, but has a serious side as well. Unless we change the way we think about transport and start calling on the government to do the same, it'll be too late. It's up to each and every one of us to take responsibility, get on our bikes and call for real, practical action on climate
change."