The authority is set to introduce charges of around £4 per bag of rubble, soil, plasterboard and asbestos, and £2 per tyre from September 2018.
Duty
Although the council acknowledges it has a duty to accept household waste free of charge at HWRCs, this does not extend to rubble and soil, asbestos, tyres and plasterboard, the authority said.
Charging for a limited number of non-household waste types has been implemented “by over a third of councils”, the authority explained, and aligns the authority with a number of close neighbours.
The council said it will continue to closely monitor levels of flytipping and take appropriate action to ensure implementation of any proposals “does not have a negative impact on the environment”.
Savings
The implementation of the charges, along with the closure of two of its HWRCs and reduction in opening times, is expected to achieve savings of around £720,000. The council’s waste services budget is £10 million.
It is estimated that the savings target will be met if all the proposals are implemented. It is also known that there will be additional revenue budget pressures as funding levels decrease in future years, the council said.
The changes will enable the waste service to continue to provide “high quality sites and a wide range of materials for recycling and disposal”. The authority’s 12 HWRCs are operated by Veolia.
Fly-tipping
In the Litter Strategy, the Government suggests that charging for waste at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) “can inconvenience residents and make disposing of their waste more difficult. There is also a risk these charges can be counterproductive and simply transfer costs to dealing with additional fly‑tipping and littering.”
“We have done a lot of work to understand if there is a link between charging for non-household waste and fly-tipping but, looking at authorities where charging already exists, we could find no evidence.”
Spokesperson
East Sussex county council
The Government has pledged to work with WRAP to review current guidance and make clear what can and cannot be charged for at HWRCs, including in respect of DIY waste.
When contacted by letsrecycle.com, a spokesperson for East Sussex county council said: “We share concerns about effect charging for disposal of non–household waste might have on the number of incidents of fly-tipping. We have done a lot of work to understand if there is a link between charging for non-household waste and fly-tipping but, looking at authorities where charging already exists, we could find no evidence.
“Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence, and if people are caught they can face some substantial fines and even imprisonment.”
Opposition
The move follows recent introductions of charges for some DIY materials by a number of councils including Norfolk (see letsrecycle.com story) and Surrey (see letsrecycle.com story). Both examples have been met with opposition.
Subscribe for free