Banning councils from charging households to leave DIY waste at recycling centres could mean tip closures and reduced hours in some council areas, an LGA survey has found.
The LGA has warned that removing funding from local waste services – when the cost of providing them continues to rise – will leave some councils with little choice but to reduce services the public have come to expect and rely on.
It has urged the Government to reverse the plans, which will cost some councils upwards of £1 million.
A snapshot survey by the National Association of Waste Disposal Organisations and the LGA found that, because of the reduced income, a third of impacted councils would consider closing recycling centres, a quarter would consider reduced opening hours, and a quarter would consider reducing the types of material accepted.
Almost all councils impacted (97 per cent) do not expect the ban on charges to be offset by savings in dealing with fly-tipping or elsewhere.
Cllr Darren Rodwell, LGA Environment Spokesperson, said: “Public satisfaction with local waste services remains high, which is something councils are proud of and work hard to maintain.
“For many councils, reducing their abilities to charge for the disposal of DIY waste will lead to funding reductions that will have to be passed on to reduced waste services popular with our residents.
“We continue to seek genuine solutions to fly-tipping and are pressing for tougher sentencing and greater use of tracking technology.
“We are urging the government to rethink this plan; it is not a good time to be reducing waste services popular with our residents.”
