Managing waste costs money, including every tonne delivered to a Recycling Centre for recycling or disposal.
Because these household facilities are funded through council tax, costs of the service need to be carefully managed and so all waste which is legally required to be accepted for ‘free’ is. Certain types of waste, such as rubble from home improvement works, is not classed as household waste under existing legislation, so a charge is applied. Interestingly, most household fly tipping incidents contain waste which would not have incurred a charge, so the reasons for fly tipping are not just based on avoided cost.
If all waste, from all sources, was accepted at Recycling Centres without charge, costs to the taxpayer would increase exponentially and residents would rightly question why they were funding home improvement projects and commercial and industrial waste disposal.
Many local authorities have introduced vehicle or user restrictions to support this ‘trade abuse’ policy to ensure trade waste does not enter sites fraudulently. Any businesses managing waste should have their own waste management arrangements in place and should not be using Recycling Centres, unless a scheme operates to accept that waste.
It is also important to challenge the belief that where there are no convenient disposal options, such as no litter bin or restrictions to use sites, that this justifies littering or fly tipping. The law is clear, there is no excuse for littering or fly tipping. The Clean Devon Partnership is therefore working together to target the individuals who are causing harm to communities and the environment, supporting the majority of residents who recognise and strive to maintain the natural beauty of Devon.