THERE are plans in place to charge Herefordshire households to take their own DIY waste to tips.

As part of the move, people could be charged up to £10 for taking old toilets, washbasins and soil to the tip – but there are fears people could fly-tip instead.

Herefordshire Council thinks it can save £345,000 by bringing in the charges at the sites, funded through ever-increasing council tax.

As part of its medium- term financial strategy for the tax years between 2022 and 2025, the council has revealed its intention to introduce charges for soil, DIY waste, tyres and plasterboard at household recycling centres from 2024 – but no definitive list has so far been published.

Conservative councillor Nigel Shaw told a Bromyard and Winslow Town Council meeting that charging people could see more rubbish dumped in the countryside, with Herefordshire Council left with a clean-up bill.

But the plans outlined in the document, which is similar to a profit-and-loss account, could be thwarted by the Government.

There is a consultation ongoing currently seeking views on preventing households being charged for the disposal of DIY waste.

The consultation is also seeking evidence on the impact of booking systems at household waste recycling centres – a system is still in place in Herefordshire, but not Worcestershire.

The Government plan is part of a fresh move to crack down on fly-tipping, which has increased since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson said the move could save households up to £10 for an individual item, with fly-tipping said to cost up to £392 million a year.

Of the councils to charge residents for taking DIY waste to tips is Hampshire County Council.

Soil and rubble costs £3 a bag or item, plasterboard costs £6 per bag or £10 per sheet, and cement-bonded asbestos costs £12 per sheet.

Soil and rubble includes stone, rubble, clay, concrete, bricks, blocks, sand, tiles, paving slabs, and ceramic bathroom suites.

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