Überzeugendere Gebührengestaltung in der Abfallentsorgung

Over the last few years, charges for the disposal of domestic waste have increased considerably. One of the reasons for this development has been increased demands placed on waste management. However, the levels of charges differ markedly between municipalities as a result of the scope offered by government regulations on waste disposal and municipal charges -although differing interpretations of these regulations have also contributed to the heterogeneity. A result of this has been that increasing numbers of customers have been complaining about their bills for waste disposal, or even going to court. In order to make municipal charges for waste disposal more transparent, and possible also more acceptable, it is recommended that a two-stage cost accounting system is introduced, in the hope that this will offer less scope for litigation. In the medium- to long-term, however, it will be necessary to reduce regional differences by introducing new regulations with less room for interpretation.