Residents reminded ‘tip-tax’ changes don’t mean free-for-all

Devon residents are being reminded that changes to waste disposal charges in the new year do not mean a free-for-all at its tips.

The government is amending legislation so households can take small amounts of DIY-waste to local disposal centres for free, but restrictions will remain.
Councillor Alan Connett (Lib Dem, Exminster & Haldon) welcomed the move by Westminster to remove what he called a ‘tip tax’, and urged Devon County Council (DCC) to give the county’s residents an “early Christmas present” by scrapping the fees immediately.
However, Cllr Roger Croad (Conservative, Ivybridge) said a paper on the matter is being presented to the council’s cabinet meeting this Wednesday, and they will be ready for when the new legislation comes into force at the end of the month.
“The new regulations only apply to a small quantity of DIY waste and charges can remain for DIY waste in excess of a free allowance,” Cllr Croad said.
“In 2011, as a result of budget reductions, DCC decided that it could no longer sustain accepting such discretionary or non-statutory waste on a free-of-charge basis, and so DIY waste charging was introduced at the time as the most pragmatic way of managing the budget reductions whilst still providing a good service to local residents.”
He added that they had saved more than £1 million during the first year of the scheme.
The new rules will mean that residents can, in a single visit and free of charge, take under 100 litres of waste from domestic property-related works,which must be capable of being fitted into two 50-litre bags.
Alternatively, they can take a single article of waste no larger than 2 metres x 75cm x 70cm.
People can’t use the county council’s waste disposal sites with this kind of waste more than four times in any four-week period.
Cllr Croad added that beyond these restrictions, some items, including asbestos and tyres, would still have a disposal charge.
Some opponents to the charges claim they encourage fly-tipping, and that accepting more waste for free is more beneficial in the long-run.
However, Cllr Croad noted that waste charges were not the primary cause of fly-tipping.
“We did a survey of fly-tipping, and some 90 per cent of all fly-tipped waste could have been taken to the civic amenity site for nothing,” he said, suggesting a lack of knowledge or laziness could be bigger factors.