DIY Waste Charges At Recycling Sites Set To Be Scrapped
Written by HFM News on 20th June 2023
Charges for disposing of DIY waste at Leicestershire’s recycling and household waste sites are set to be scrapped after the government announced councils will no longer be allowed to impose fees.
Residents currently have to pay to dump of things like fence panels, bricks and tiles.
Around a third of Local Authorities charge for household DIY waste and the changes will mean councils treat DIY waste the same as household waste.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow says the move will help reduce fly-tipping and encourage recycling, saying: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to dispose of their waste properly and that’s why we are removing the financial burden on doing the right thing with DIY trash.
“This not only supports our wider work to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, but we are helping home improvers across the nation make their dream projects a reality.”
Leicestershire County Council says its awaiting full details of the announcement, before making any amendments to its current waste policy.
A spokesperson told HFM: “This announcement is the Government’s response to a consultation carried out in 2022 on ending charges for DIY waste at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).
“The consultation response sets out Government’s intention to change legislation to allow householders to take limited amounts of DIY waste to HWRCs (locally Recycling and Household Waste Sites) free of charge.
“The legislation will need to be amended before the changes can come into force, which is expected to happen later this year.
“Leicestershire County Council is awaiting the details of the proposed changes to legislation before making any amendments to our current waste policy.”
Executive Director of the Environmental Services Association, Jacob Hayler, said: “We welcome any measures that make it easier for householders to dispose of waste correctly and responsibly at their local Household Waste Recycling Centre, which in turn reduces the chance of it falling into the hands of criminals or being fly-tipped.”
