FOI Request: please EXCLUDE any charges for trade/commercial waste for this whole FOI. I am looking for charges applicable to residents not businesses.
1) Please detail what charges there are, if any, at your Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC)?
The details can be found here online at:
https://www.devon.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/recycling-centres/chargeable-waste/
2) Please state when charges were introduced and whether they have increased or decreased from their introduction to date.
The charges were introduced in 2011. Some charges have decreased and some increased since the introduction date. The original charged in 2011 were:-
Soil/Rubble £2 per bag
Plasterboard £7 per bag/sheet
Bonded Asbestos £20 per bag/sheet
Tyres £2 each
3) Please provide a copy of the minutes of the meeting where it was decided to introduce charges, if your authority has done so.
The policy was approved by the DCC Cabinet. Specifically, the Cabinet Report which discusses this policy can be found here (Item 9 of the Agenda – minutes of the meeting are also available through this link):-
http://democracy.devon.gov.uk/CeListDocuments.aspx?MID=566&RD=Agenda&DF=09%2f03%2f2011&A=0&R=0
4) Please state the total income generated by your local authority from any charges in the following financial years:
i) 2013/14
ii) 2014/15
iii) 2015/16
iv) 2016/17
Devon County Council only has a legal obligation to provide Recycling Centre facilities for Household Waste (which is waste arising from the day to day running of a household). However, items from the repair or improvement of houses (e.g. DIY type waste) is classified as construction waste and there is no legal requirement for the Council to provide any service for the disposal of this material or accept it free of charge.
Due to severe budget reductions, we can no longer sustain accepting such ‘discretionary’ waste on a free-of-charge basis.
However, it is recognised that facilities are still needed for local residents to dispose of small amounts of DIY type waste (especially just for a few bags of waste when it is not worth hiring a skip), and so rather than taking the drastic measure of withdrawing this discretionary service completely, the Council has made arrangements with the site operators for such waste to be accepted for a charge, on a commercial basis.
The scheme is operated by a waste management company as a commercial operation – the payments made by the public cover the provision of this service. Payments are made by the public direct to the company operating the service and not Devon County Council.
Therefore Devon County Council does not hold this information.
5) Please state whether opening hours at your HWRC’s have been reduced in the past financial year.
No