The town of Oostzaan, Netherlands, used a pilot scheme to assess the viability of a weight-based tariff for household waste collection. Local resident separated their recyclables and deposited them at either one of the local recycling sites or an Eco-Park. In addition, each property was provided with two 240 litre wheeled bins, one for residual waste and one for biodegradables. The bins were emptied every second week and analysed. A weight-based tariff of equal value was applied to each bin. The results were an overall reduction in waste generated of 38%, a 60% drop in residual waste collection and a halving of the amount of biodegradable waste collected.
Zurich introduced the Züri-sack system whereby households covered the full cost for waste management through the unit pricing of each waste sack used. Overall quantity of waste arising fell while the amount going to recycling increasing significantly.
In the USA, a survey of 500 communities showed that variable rate programmes increased the amount of kerb-side recycling and drop-off recycling, increasing overall recycling levels by 6-8%. It also resulted in diversion of an additional 8 to 11% of garbage sent for final disposal.