Households no longer pay to get rid of DIY waste
HOUSEHOLDS will no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste under proposals to be outlined by the Government today. The move is part of a fresh crackdown on fly-tipping, which has increased since the start of the pandemic.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said rules that allow some local authorities to charge for waste – including plasterboards, bricks and baths – could be changed. Environment minister Jo Churchill said: “When it comes to fly-tipping, enough is enough. These appalling incidents cost us £392million a year and it is time to put a stop to them. “I want to make sure that recycling and the correct disposal of rubbish is free, accessible and easy for householders.
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“No one should be tempted to fly-tip or turn to waste criminals and rogue operators.” A call for evidence on the use of booking systems at recycling centres will be launched – some of which were brought in when Covid restrictions were imposed in the pandemic.
There are concerns these could be making it harder for people to dispose of their waste and increasing the risk of fly-tipping. Local authorities dealt with 1.13 million fly-tipping incidents in 2020-2021, up 16 percent from 2019-2020.
Defra said council grants totalling £450,000 would help fund projects including CCTV in fly-tipping hot spots, an educational tool for those issued with an on-the-spot fine, and artificial intelligence to provide an instant alert to items left at regular fly-tipping points.
A spokesman said: “It really is a win-win all round.”
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Comment by Jo Churchill
Too often, farmers and landowners are the ones who have to clean up fly-tipping.
Some months ago, I wrote about our plans to disrupt waste crime.
Today, I am announcing we are going further to ensure that disposing of DIY waste is as cheap and easy as possible.
Residents need to be able to dispose of their waste in a responsible and convenient way.
At present, around a third of local authorities charge for DIY waste in the same way they would for commercial waste. We want to put a stop to this.
We will give local authorities across England a share of a £450,000 Fly Tipping Intervention Fund.
We will go further to make sure disposing of waste properly is as accessible as possible.
• Jo Churchill is MP for Bury St Edmonds and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation
