Scrapping of council DIY waste charges could see fall in fly-tipping

Fly-tipping in the countryside could soon see a fall in incidents as the government confirms that households will no longer have to pay to get rid of DIY waste.

Following overwhelming public support, the fees which some local authorities charge for disposing DIY waste at household waste recycling centres will be abolished.

It means councils will treat this waste the same as household waste, in a move which could save households up to £10 for an individual item.

The government said the new measure may reduce the temptation for people to use "waste cowboys" who fly-tip rubbish on farmland and in the countryside.

Fly-tipping and waste crime is estimated to cost the economy £924 million per year in England alone.

According to the NFU, the crime impacts around two thirds of farmers, with the issue remaining a key issue for the industry.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for people to dispose of their waste properly and that’s why we are removing the financial burden on doing the right thing with DIY trash.

"This not only supports our wider work to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, but we are helping home improvers across the nation make their dream projects a reality."

Executive director of the Environmental Services Association, Jacob Hayler, welcomed the measures, but he said a 'multifaceted approach' was needed to tackle the 'scourge' of waste crime.

"We welcome any measures that make it easier for householders to dispose of waste correctly and responsibly, which in turn reduces the chance of it falling into the hands of criminals or being fly-tipped.

"[It] will require a multifaceted approach which is why we also support additional measures being introduced to help local authorities and to implement digital waste tracking alongside reform of the licensing regime for waste carriers, brokers and dealers."

Earlier this year, grants totalling £775,000 were awarded to help councils roll out a range of projects to crack down on rural fly-tipping.

However, rural campaigners said ministers should look at increasing the penalties for convicted fly-tippers further, while resourcing rural police forces to ensure they were held to account.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents over 28,000 rural businesses, said most farmers and landowners had been a victim of fly-tipping.

"Hundreds of thousands of offences on private land are going unrecorded," warned Mark Tufnell, CLA president.

"Farmers often have so little faith in the ability of the police or council to deal with fly-tipping that they simply bear the cost of removing rubbish themselves.

He added: “It’s not just the odd piece of litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous – even including asbestos and chemicals - risking the safety of people and animals."