MenuIn July 2015 the County Council’s Local Services (Rural & Urban) Working Groups and the Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee supported the proposal to implement a £2 per bag charge to residents delivering inert DIY waste, namely soils, rubble and plasterboards to Household Waste Recovery Centres (HWRCs).
Those charges were introduced last year for tipping rubble, soil and plasterboard. Regular spot checks have been undertaken at the sites from the outset to ensure that charges were being consistently applied. It was apparent from these visits that whilst the site attendants were being robust and consistently applying the charge in accordance with NCC policy, there was still a significant proportion of inert DIY materials being disposed of in soil/rubble skips that under the current rules were not chargeable. It is not possible to charge for household waste items such as old crockery, sheets of glass from a greenhouse etc that are disposed of in the inert waste recycling skips. However, significant volumes of sanitary ware resulting from major DIY refurbishment works such as old ceramic sinks, pedestals, toilets, cisterns and shower trays, and to a lessor extent glazed units from the replacement of windows and conservatories were evident in the inert waste skips and are not currently included within the charging regime. This inconsistency has now been addressed. All of these inert items from DIY construction/demolition works will be included within the charging arrangements from Monday 18 July. From that date, Northumberland residents will have to pay a small charge for tipping old bathroom fittings like ceramic toilets and sinks, as well as glass windows at household waste recovery centres in the county.
It is still free to take any general household waste, plastic and cast iron baths, old furniture, electrical and electronic domestic appliances, car batteries, garden waste and other unwanted household items to any waste centre in the county.
The County Council is under unprecedented pressure to save money to protect frontline services, and this is one of a number of measures that are being introduced in order to avoid service cuts.
While local authorities have to dispose of ordinary household waste they are not under an obligation to take DIY construction and demolition waste. A number of other councils have already introduced charges and some provide no facilities at all for DIY waste.
Bathroom fittings and glass windows will now be charged in the same way as soil, rubble and plasterboard, ceramic pipes; bricks and breeze blocks; concrete and paving slabs; gravel, stone, sand, hard core and tarmac, tiles and slates at £2 per equivalent bag/sheet charge – with charges of £12 for a load in a standard car/hatchback; £20 in a small trailer/estate car/small van; £40 in a longer trailer and £80 in a transit van. Users of vans, trailers and commercial vehicles will also need a permit.
Payments will be by credit or debit or pre-paid payment card only – and visitors to the sites should agree the charge and pay before depositing their waste.
These charges to residents will still not cover the total cost of disposing of this DIY waste and the County Council will continue to fund the rest of the cost.
On arriving at the site a site attendant will inspect the items the householder wishes to tip, advise of the appropriate charge and take the payment.
Charges will be based on a bag or the proportion of a loaded vehicle.
In addition to charging and use of permits each household in Northumberland is only permitted to take a total of six cubic yards of any DIY waste to sites each year. Other ways of disposing of additional items include through private skip hire, through a commercial disposal site or through use of one of the waste bag services available at DIY stores.
Household waste recovery centre’s do not accept waste from tradespeople, property developers or landlords.