DIY charges at Plymouth’s Chelson Meadow tip scrapped

Plymouth householders won’t have to pay to dump DIY waste at Chelson Meadow tip after the Government scrapped charges. Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said that “following overwhelming public support” the Government will abolish the fees which some council’s charge for disposing of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).

She said this will support householders to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner and encourage recycling. About a third of local authorities charge for household DIY waste.

The changes outlined by the Government will mean councils treat DIY waste the same as household waste and could save households up to £10 for an individual item – for example, a sheet of plasterboard. The Government said this will make it much easier and cheaper for people making home improvements to get rid of their waste – and may reduce the temptation to use waste cowboys who fly-tip rubbish.

Plymouth City Council is now looking at the Government’s decision to find out what items are considered DIY waste. A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the announcement and will be engaging with the government on the details of these plans to find out what they mean for residents in Plymouth.”

But Tory councillor Lee Fin, who chaired the budget scrutiny committee when the charges were brought in last December, said officers were warned that doing that could lead to an increase in fly tipping, which would be a financial drain on the council. He said: “I’m pleased the national Government has taken on board the concerns of local authorities.”

In December, Plymouth City Council brought in charges for some non-household items at Chelson Meadow Household Waste Recycling Centre. The policy, which was previously in place between January and June 2021, meant residents bringing soil, rubble, plasterboard and asbestos to the recycling centre need to pay.

For soil and rubble the charge was £2.40 per bag or item, plasterboard £6 per bag or sheet and bonded asbestos £11 per bag or sheet. It is estimated that by doing this, the council could save £177,000 per year as it looked at closing a £37.6m shortfall in its budget.

Rebecca Pow said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to dispose of their waste properly and that’s why we are removing the financial burden of doing the right thing with DIY trash. This not only supports our wider work to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, but we are helping home improvers across the nation make their dream projects a reality.”

The Government said the changes complement wider action it is taking to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, which is estimated to cost the economy £924m per year in England. Earlier this year the Government announced grants totalling £775,000 to help councils roll out a range of projects to crack down on fly-tipping.

It has consulted on reforming the waste carrier, broker, dealer regime and on introducing mandatory digital waste tracking, and is also developing a fly-tipping toolkit with National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to help spread best practice among local authorities on tackling the issue.

Jacob Hayler, executive director of the Environmental Services Association, said: “We welcome any measures that make it easier for householders to dispose of waste correctly and responsibly at their local household waste recycling centre, which in turn reduces the chance of it falling into the hands of criminals or being fly-tipped. Tackling the scourge of waste crime, from low-level fly-tipping to industrial-scale illegal operations, will require a multifaceted approach which is why we also support additional measures being introduced to help local authorities and to implement digital waste tracking alongside reform of the licensing regime for waste carriers, brokers and dealers.”

The Government clarified the law in 2015 that taxpayers should not be charged for disposing of household waste at civic amenity sites – scrapping backdoor “tip taxes”. It has also repeatedly stated that councils should not be charging for such DIY household waste disposal either.

The changes announced clarify that DIY household waste should be treated the same as household waste. The reforms are intended to protect the environment by encouraging responsible waste disposal, whilst keeping down the cost of living for households.