Families hit with ‘rubbish tax’ as councils charge to dump waste at tips
FAMILIES are being charged a new ‘rubbish tax’ by councils who have introduced a fee to dump waste at tips.
The Government has launched a review into the fees after almost fifty local authorities have begun insisting on payments, with some even releasing a price list for different items.
An investigation by the exposed a number of councils charging residents to dispose of their rubbish.
Buckinghamshire council have demanded up to £20 for items including taps, boilers, fence posts, plasterboard and loo seats.
Households in Devon have also been forced to pay £3.90 for clearing out shower trays and tyres while Norfolk charges £5 for each dustbin sized bag.
Blackpool and Stockport local authorities have imposed a permit fee of up to £10, while gardeners in Kent had to pay £4 for getting rid of bags of soil or rubble.
Hillingdon asks their residents who lug larger quantities of their DIY waste to pay £197 per ton - the same price as for trade waste - and a minimum of £19.70 for up to 100kg.
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The latest figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that the number of fly tipping incidents rose 43 per cent from 2016/17 to 2017/18 and cost a whopping £12.2million to clean up.
A Defra spokeswoman told The Sun: “We have been clear that disposing of household waste, including waste from DIY home improvement projects, should be free of charge. That is why we are planning to review current rules.
“Where local authorities do charge people to get rid of non-household items at household waste recycling centres, they must make sure charges are proportionate and clear to understand.”
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