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Posted 20 December 2023
As of the New Year a free allowance for DIY type waste will be available to households (Exclusions may apply)
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Dan_82 Deal editor
Joined in 2006
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About this deal
Households will be able to dispose of small amounts of DIY waste for free at our Household Waste Recycling Centres, from the New Year.
Each recyling centre may slightly differ so please check before you head down there, couple of links below to the new 'offer' and get deal is to find your nearest.
e.g
Devon
Norfolk
Plymouth
Kent
Up to now, the legal definition of household waste has not included materials from the repair or improvement of houses, for example, home improvement types of waste, so councils have had no obligation to accept such waste free of charge. Councils have used the revenue to invest back in to keep waste services running.
But the government has changed the legislation such that a small amount of DIY waste will be accepted at our Household Waste Recycling Centres, free of charge, from the New Year.
The Government says councils will need to cover the additional costs of disposal themselves, so proposals to help mitigate the additional costs are being developed and are likely to include some DIY waste restrictions at some sites, as well as developing a system to manage the free DIY waste allowances.
The scheme will not apply to certain items, such as tyres and hazardous asbestos, and the charges for these will continue in the normal way.
Householders undertaking large DIY projects should consider hiring a skip/Hippo bag, or similar, to dispose of their waste.
So what waste will be accepted as household waste?
As of the New Year a free allowance for DIY type waste will be available to households.
This is limited to four single visits per household in any four-week period with either:
- up to 2 rubble bags (which can be safely carried by the depositor) per visit
or
- 1 single (unbagged) item up to a maximum of 2 metres in length per visit
Any excess DIY waste material, oversize DIY material, or additional visits over a household’s free weekly allowance will incur charges as normal.
The free allowance is only provided to householders generating DIY waste produced by their own DIY works at their own domestic property
- Construction/demolition waste generated by works for which a payment has been made is not accepted
Each recyling centre may slightly differ so please check before you head down there, couple of links below to the new 'offer' and get deal is to find your nearest.
e.g
Devon
Norfolk
Plymouth
Kent
Up to now, the legal definition of household waste has not included materials from the repair or improvement of houses, for example, home improvement types of waste, so councils have had no obligation to accept such waste free of charge. Councils have used the revenue to invest back in to keep waste services running.
But the government has changed the legislation such that a small amount of DIY waste will be accepted at our Household Waste Recycling Centres, free of charge, from the New Year.
The Government says councils will need to cover the additional costs of disposal themselves, so proposals to help mitigate the additional costs are being developed and are likely to include some DIY waste restrictions at some sites, as well as developing a system to manage the free DIY waste allowances.
The scheme will not apply to certain items, such as tyres and hazardous asbestos, and the charges for these will continue in the normal way.
Householders undertaking large DIY projects should consider hiring a skip/Hippo bag, or similar, to dispose of their waste.
So what waste will be accepted as household waste?
As of the New Year a free allowance for DIY type waste will be available to households.
This is limited to four single visits per household in any four-week period with either:
- up to 2 rubble bags (which can be safely carried by the depositor) per visit
or
- 1 single (unbagged) item up to a maximum of 2 metres in length per visit
Any excess DIY waste material, oversize DIY material, or additional visits over a household’s free weekly allowance will incur charges as normal.
The free allowance is only provided to householders generating DIY waste produced by their own DIY works at their own domestic property
- Construction/demolition waste generated by works for which a payment has been made is not accepted
More details at Community Updates
Edited by Dan_82, 21 December 2023
86 Comments
sorted byYou can't just turn up to the recycling centre. You have to book online in advance and list every item you want to dispose/recycle.
They check and try to charge to make money.
Since they started to charge, the fly tipping has gone through the roof. (edited)
Apparently I now have to go to Greenford, yet they bang on about trying to reduce car usage and pollution
Everything now gets broken down and put in bin bags in the rubbish bin. Problem solved
Not sure that it should really take a genius to see that outcome of the change in policy!
We pay enough tax and this should be free to prevent or reduce fly tipping
who are these idiots in charge
they need locking up
What you often see is low life's charging to clear waste and dumping in a quiet country area.
Agree you need to cater for some diy waste and these feel like positive steps. It's a start anyway
metal is sold
bricks and rubble is crushed and sold
plastic waste is sold for reuse
etc etc
We seriously need a total shake-up of the way local councils are managed and funded in this country and how contracts are awarded, but sadly everyone in elected office at all levels just acts like it's out of their hands.
Maybe one day we'll get a government that will sort it out but I don't hold out much hope for that happening any time soon because none of the major parties seem to have a proper plan for that, whoever gets in next.
Tradie: ...yes.
Contrast that to a Hampshire one a couple of years ago, where they wanted to charge me something like £5 to dump 4 old unused bathroom tiles. They went in the street bin a few yards outside the entrance.
Ceramics? (edited)
However, it was written with poorly defined terminology, which cash-strapped councils used as a loophole to justify charging. (Who'd have thought central government would be capable of writing bad laws?!?)
Once one council started charging, it normalized the behaviour with neighbouring councils, and the behaviour spread.
This new legislation was negotiated with interested parties, as a compromise between the original intent of the legislation, and the reality that many local governments are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. (edited)
Reported since July 23 and still there in December 23.
When I walked past recently it has trippled in size. Should have taken a few photos!
clearwaste.com/flytipping/report/57054 (edited)
I report flytipping in Croydon and its usually cleared within 3 days
Although the high council tax council are generally useless
Though they conveniently forget to state how much is paid for the clean-up of fly-tipping.
Nor do they account for loss of amenity value in the areas suffering from fly-tipping.
Waste disposal is such a fundamental requirement in any civilized society, that it absolutely should be collectively funded.