Election prompts Richmond review of HWRC fees

Richmond council has said that the snap election has allowed it to review the planned £205 per tonne charge for DIY waste at its household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) in Kew.

Last month, the council announced it was to roll out the charge from 2 December 2019, which would see cars with DIY waste weighed upon entry, and re-weighed on the way out to gain the tare weight (see letsrecycle.com story).

This would then be charged at £205 a tonne with a minimum fee of £41. The council said at the time that this brings the Townmead Road depot into line with the charges of neighbouring boroughs, and that it also seeks to address the rising impact of DIY waste disposal costs on council budgets.

However, in a statement this week (November 12), Richmond council said that since the initial announcement, residents have raised concerns about the proposed charging structure.

This centred on the minimum charge, which would “potentially penalise those only wanting to dispose of a small amount of DIY waste”.

“Due to community concern, and because the Council is currently in a pre-election period where contentious new policies should not be launched, the charge will not go live on 2 December as planned but will allow for this review to be completed,” the council statement read.

Expensive

Commenting after announcing the review, Paul Chadwick, director of environment and community services for Richmond Council, commented: “The facts are still the same, disposing of DIY waste is getting more and more expensive. So, we do need to look at the way we do it.”

Cllr Chadwick added: “However, we have heard the concerns of local people and agree that we take a further look at how we charge. Therefore, whilst we are doing this review we won’t introduce the charge. It is expected we will publish a revised scheme in the early part of next year.”

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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment