New charges will encourage fly-tipping

The West London Waste Authority, run jointly by the 6 outer west London Boroughs have announced that residents will now be charged for taking domestic waste to their local council dumps -sorry “Civic Amenity and Recycling  Sites”.

However their leaflet and the helpful lady on their help line  () explained that while people would be charged for:

Garden soil and rubble, demolition materials including  bathroom and kitchen suites and units, wall and floor tiles etc

They would not be charged for:

Recyclable green waste and anything you would normally take with you, if they were in good condition, when  you moved house. So you can still dump free of charge your old free- standing fridge or cooker. Old carpets are also accepted.

In other words anything that would be produced as a by-product of commercial work on your property by a builder or landscaper (even if you Did It Yourself) is chargeable.

The minimum charge for  a car is £17!!!

This is clearly going to encourage:

Fly tipping

The dumping of waste materials in gardens

People,  quite legitimately, putting smaller items, such as old floor tiles and empty paint tins etc in with their non -recyclable waste for collection by the dustmen.

In each case this will generate addition costs for the boroughs as well as being detrimental to the environment. It is difficult therefore to  see how this decision can be in the public interest.

I will endeavour to look into the decision making process and if  see if a proper cost benefit analysis took place.

In the meantime Hillingdon Conservatives are saying they were against the charges but were outvoted by the Labour members on the  WLWA .

 London Waste Authorities 

 

Peter Silverman
14th November 2012