Local residents will have to dig a bit deeper from this week as West Berkshire Council starts charging £25 to collect fridges, sofas and other large items from outside your home.

Before today, the service – collecting up to five bulky goods within seven days – was free, although the council did charge for an express service of up to £133 . The logic was that a free rubbish pick-up would keep fly-tipping down, and as recently as January 2008, the Tory administration said it would continue to provide a free service. A U-turn was announced in March 2009.

But with the service costing £100,000 a year, council waste chiefs hope the new charging system will generate £12,000 income this year.

The move is the latest in a series of council cutbacks, including scrapping travel tokens for pensioners, reducing pub and restaurant kitchen inspections, and scrapping a grant to the district’s main conservation project.

For various reasons, the council will not collect old carpets, radiators, window panes, tyres or kitchen sinks, among others.

A council statement said: “In line with other councils who already charge for this service, from 1 June, a charge of £25 will be made for collection of up to five items from outside of your property. As before, collection must be pre-booked by phoning the council's Streetcare team on 01635 519080.”

Are scrap car collections still free?

Would be interesting to see the whole business case. £12,000 is presumably net - the collection payments less the increased cost of clearing up after fly tipping?  

Quoted from 40

Would be interesting to see the whole business case. £12,000 is presumably net - the collection payments less the increased cost of clearing up after fly tipping?  

Interesting point. As WBC spend a small fortune on spy cameras in laybys to catch flytippers, that would need to be factored in too, but I bet it's not.

Quoted from Administrator

A council statement said: “In line with other councils who already charge for this service, from 1 June, a charge of £25 will be made for collection of up to five items from outside of your property. As before, collection must be pre-booked by phoning the council's Streetcare team on 01635 519080.”

I don't think this is unreasonable, even if it is for one item. The options are either take it to the tip yourself, assuming you have the transport or saving up until you have five items at Five pounds each.

I don't think it unreasonable either, BUT, those that can already afford it (or are prepared not to leave it in the street) are probably those who will pay!

The other's will just leave it in the street, or in the front gardens, just like the mattresses in Craven Road!!!

What will steetcare's actions be now when an innocent bystander reports dumped items outside their house - charge them!!!

Interesting that WBC have reported that flytipping has halved since this was introduced.

I would have predicted the opposite. Thoughts?

Looked at the site last week and it said £25, but it seems it only came in this week.  How very odd.

Admins original post dated:

June 1, 2009, 9:03pm


Threep.

Quoted from Meddler

Interesting that WBC have reported that flytipping has halved since this was introduced.

I would have predicted the opposite. Thoughts?

It could be that due to the recession not so many of these items are being replaced - hence less to tip by which ever means chosen.

Fewer people moving house/flat?

Perhaps the penalties for fly tipping have made the tippers think twice. Why anybody, other than the professional tippers, need to dump their flies seems odd to me when there is a perfectly good disposal point just off the A339. They are geared up to take a whole range of rubbish now, unlike the Pinchington lane site. It's easy, they accept asbestos, rubble, plasterboard, clothing, batteries, tyres, oil and electrical as well as all the usuals. The staff are always helpful and cheerful and the disposal is pretty painless with loads of bays.
Might this be the real reason why illegal dumping has reduced.

They won't take wet paint; which is a nuisance.

I see Admin is re-cycling old news items.

Quoted from Greenham Common

They won't take wet paint; which is a nuisance.

That's true, I have loads of cans of paint and no idea what to do with them.