The Proposal
Kent County Council is seeking the views of service users, members of the public and other interested parties through a consultation on their proposal to begin charging for non-household waste at their Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRC) - more commonly known as the 'Tip'. Even if they come from a domestic property, these materials are to be treated as non-household waste in accordance with the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012.
The consultation opened on Thursday 6th September and runs until Thursday 1st November, after which a response should be published. The final decision about changes to the service will be made by Cllr Mike Whiting, KCC Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste, late 2018/early 2019 and the report published online at: www.kent.gov.uk/wasteconsultation
KCC say approximately 3.5 million visits are made to their 18 Recycling Centres across the County every year, that equates to 185,000 tonnes of waste at a cost of approximately £10 million to the taxpayer. They say, more than 99% of Kent’s household waste is now recycled, treated or recovered to produce energy, with less than 1% sent to landfill.
Currently, KCC is not obligated to accept non-household waste, such as soil, rubble, hardcore and plasterboard. KCC already charges for car and motorbike tyres which are also categorised as non-household waste. In order to continue to provide a disposal service for these materials in the future, KCC is proposing to extend the non-household waste charging policy to include:
Soil, Rubble and Hardcore
This also includes other materials such as ceramics which are recycled in the soil, rubble and hardcore container.
A daily limit on soil, rubble and hardcore, in-line with current restrictions will apply - a maximum of 5 bags/items (a bag can be up to the size of a standard black sack). The policy to limit these materials was introduced in 2012 to prevent trade waste abuse.
Plasterboard
KCC is open minded to charging a modest fee. The disposal charge would be in line with neighbouring Councils that already charge for these materials and will off-set the cost of providing and maintaining this valuable service.
The anticipated costs would be:
• Soil, rubble and hardcore £4 per bag
• Plasterboard £6 per bag
Summary of a statement from Cllr Mike Whiting, KCC Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste:
“We need to reduce our annual waste and recycling budget further, while providing residents with an accessible HWRC service. KCC is looking at ways to make the system more efficient to allow it to continue to offer the best possible service.
KCC has no statutory requirement to accept non-household waste, however, we appreciate from time to time residents may need to dispose of these materials.
KCC would like to continue to offer a service and proposes a modest charge to off-set the cost. Before any decisions are made, we would like to hear your views.
There are several factors that place pressure on the HWRC service, including the use of facilities by non-Kent residents.
Many councils already charge for non-household waste. Some of these are Kent’s neighbouring authorities such as Surrey and Bromley. East Sussex County Council has also recently taken the decision to charge for non-household waste and to close several of its HWRCs close to the Kent border from late 2018.
Evidence has found that many people come to Kent to dispose of their waste as it costs nothing.
There is no significant evidence to link policies, such as charging for non-household waste at HWRCs, with increased fly-tipping.
Kent’s population is set to increase by approximately 400,000 in just over a decade, putting further pressure on the HWRC service.”
Have Your Say
views on this proposal will help KCC to consider options and inform any decision.
