Council considers charging for bulky waste collections

Charnwood Borough Council is considering introducing a £20 charge for bulky waste collections from homes.

Currently, Charnwood residents can request from the Council three free bulky waste collections each year and only face a charge after exceeding that amount.

However, the Council’s Cabinet is being asked to consider introducing a £20 charge for each collection of up to three items.

The Council says as local government funding becomes increasingly challenging it must look at new ways to fund frontline services.

Cllr Leigh Harper-Davies, lead member for contracts at the Council, said: “We have to be realistic about funding services for residents. Bulky waste collections are not something the authority has to provide but we know residents value the service. That’s why, as local government funding becomes more difficult, we must look at alternative ways of paying for services like this.

“Nearly every other authority in the country charges for bulky waste collections and to ensure we can keep delivering a high-quality service we feel the time is right to introduce a reasonable charge.

“The proposed charge would help cover the costs of the service and would still be cheaper than some other authorities in the area.

“For people who want to dispose of large items there are a number of alternatives. Firstly, we would encourage people recycle if they can and a several charities collect some bulky items such as furniture for free. Most goods can also be taken to the local tips.

“This approach was included in this year’s Council’s budget which was approved by Council earlier this year.” 

The Council’s cabinet will consider the proposal at a meeting on July 4th.

The current bulky waste service costs around £105,000 to operate and introducing the charge is expected to generate around £60,000 a year.