Hampshire county council could delay planned changes to operations at its Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) following comments from DCLG over charges for waste disposal.
Hampshire’s Eastleigh HWRC is among the facilities now charging for the deposit of some types of waste
Councillors will be considering whether to press ahead with planned changes to Hampshire’s HWRCs at a meeting on 3 November – having originally been approved in August.
The council is planning reduced opening hours at sites from 1 January 2017 as well as approving a charge for the disposal of ‘DIY’ waste at its HWRCs, as part of a plan to save £98 million from council spending (see letsrecycle.com story).
But the council claims that recent comments from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have caused confusion over whether some waste materials can be deposited at a charge, meaning that the proposals would need to be reconsidered.
As a result councillors will consider whether to push the plans back to October 2017 “to allow further work to be carried out on establishing a sustainable financial model for the Household Waste Recycling Centre service”.
DIY charge
Councils have previously voiced their frustration over uncertainty surrounding policy on charging for DIY household waste – with DCLG having issued comments this month that DIY waste generated by householders should be disposed of without a charge. (see letsrecycle.com story).
Hampshire county council had planned to introduce a charge which it claimed would help to subsidise the cost of keeping all 24 HWRCs to remain open.
Councillor Rob Humby, the council’s executive member for environment, said: “The Government compels us to reduce running costs, but at the same time seems to want to micro-manage particular details of how we provide the service. In view of this uncertainty, I am considering delaying introducing any further changes.”
Uncertainty
Cllr Humby added: “We know the county council’s HWRC service is efficient, well-used by residents and the most cost effective way to collect waste from Hampshire’s households. All the sites have an admirable recycling rate and Hampshire overall has an enviable record in the amount of waste diverted from landfill.
“We have left no stone unturned in finding ways to keep the HWRC service open as much as possible to residents while finding financial savings required by severe reductions in government funding. We have negotiated a new contract, and opened up the HWRCs for small businesses to use for their trade waste for the first time, on a cost recovery basis. These are early days, but I am encouraged by the take up of this new service which is helping to meet the running costs of the HWRCs.”
He added: “So far, in line with residents’ priority, we’ve managed to avoid closing any of Hampshire’s 24 HWRC sites, and made financial savings by other means. But, until we get some clarity from Government ministers, we find ourselves in the perplexing position of potentially having to look again at our plans. In the meantime, it seems sensible to hold off bringing in any further changes.”
Legislation
Approached for comment, DCLG reiterated that legislation was passed in March 2015 prohibiting councils from charging residents for the use of HWRCs either at the point of entry, exit or disposal..
A DCLG spokesman said: “We’re determined to boost recycling and that’s why we’ve brought in legislation to stop councils charging residents for household waste. Guidance is clear that should include any household waste from DIY.”
Hampshire’s HWRCs are currently operated by Veolia.
The post Hampshire to review HWRC changes over legal ‘uncertainty’ appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
