The Government and EU are at it again!
From the 1st February 2010, if you supply over 32Kg in total weight (during a 12 month period) of virtually any sort of 'portable' batteries, you will be classed as a Distributor under the new EU batteries directive.
So that will include virtually all fire alarm/security system installers.
Our Government has decided that all such 'Distributors' must provide a 'battery take-back facility' for any member of the public who wants to dispose of their batteries whether or not they bought such batteries from the distributor and whether or not that member of the public intends to buy any new batteries from the distributor at the time of disposal.
The Department for the Enivornment, Food and Rural Affairs will be appointing a 'regulator' to oversee the scheme. Reading between the lines this will obviously include the regulator being able to issue fines and punishments for anyone not following the regulations.
Once again, the cost of sensible environmental practices will be shouldered by small businesses under the fear of punitive action for failing to follow the rules.
When is this Government going to learn that they should take on all the most difficult and important responsibilities themselves, because, in the long run, it would work out cheaper for everybody, help prevent small business from being swamped with unworkable laws and costs, and would allow the Government to ensure that the important issues affecting us all, are dealt with to our, the voter's, satisfaction.
In my opinion the Government should be totally responsible for the disposal of every type of waste. Both domestic and commercial.
The Government are the only ones who have the resources to set up proper disposal/recycling schemes. The cost of running these schemes could be paid for, in advance, by a 'disposal tax' being added to the cost every product manufactured in this country or imported from abroad. The tax would be proportional to the difficulty of disposing of that particular type of waste. Surely, everybody would be happy if the cost of a paper-wrapped item went up by 1/10th of a penny and the cost of a new car by say £100 etc. etc.
The responsibility for waste disposal would be passed by the Government to regional/local authorities with the funding for the service coming from central government from the 'disposal tax'.
If the local authority had the responsibility for collecting and disposing of every type of waste there would be no fly-tipping or illegal disposable of chemicals and heavy-metals by companies and we should end up with the responsible disposal/recycling of everything.
It seems so obvious and straight-forward to me.
Why does the Government of this country continually have to pass the buck on every possible responsibility and pass it on to others under fear of fines for non-compliance?
Actually, I think I know the answer myself. The Government knows that they would make a cock-up of waste disposal. just like virtually everything they do. But because the voters would know it was the Government's responsibility, they could suffer the voters backlash. That's why they rarely lead from the front and show the voters how to be good citizens.
Anyway, I guess that like 'road and petrol taxes', the income from the 'disposal tax' would actually be squandered on undeserved benefit payments, quangos, foreign aid and MPs expenses.
I'm sick of our corrupt, weak-willed, money-grabbing politicians and their 'enforcers'; the local authorities and supposed essential service providers. Look how poor the police force have become in the last 30 years. They used to work for the people - now they just work for the Government. I want us to get rid of every useless Politician and civil servant and to replace them with sensible and trustworthy people who realise that their 'customer' is actually the tax-paying population . These type of people still exist, but they are too few these days, because too many people are thinking 'if our leaders are crooks, the only way to survive is to be a crook too'. You know it's the truth!
How do you put up with them?
In fact, I'm holding you responsible for voting for them!
