Price cut to halt fly tipping

Charges for the removal of large items in the Hinckley and Bosworth area are being reduced from 1 April 2018 in a bid to combat fly-tipping.

The new reduced charges aim to encourage residents to dispose of large items - such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, sofas, carpets, beds, mattresses and other furniture – responsibly.

Last year there were 863 fly tips in the borough, which cost the council £33,340 to remove.

From 1 April the new charges will be £15 for up to three items, £25 for up to five items and £6 for each additional item. Concessions are available.

Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services at the Borough Council, Councillor Mark Nickerson said: “Over half the fly-tips last year were household items, which is a real blight on our borough, and residents need to make sure they either take their waste to one of Leicestershire County Council tips themselves, get the council to remove it or use a licensed waste carrier who they know will dispose of the waste correctly.

“Unfortunately, many residents still use unlicensed waste carriers who then fly-tip the resident’s waste. When we identify the responsible resident they will be fined or prosecuted and charged for the cost of clearing up the fly tip.

“To tackle this problem, the government is looking to introduce the £400 fine just for failure to use a registered waste carrier, so I would strongly recommend people stop looking on Twitter, Facebook and Spotted Hinckley/Barwell and so forth, when they need items removing and, unless they are absolutely certain that their waste will be disposed of correctly, they should use the council..

“The council provides an excellent collection service, and with the new reduced charges it will cost you only £15 to have a 3-piece suite removed (£7.50 if you are on benefits). Please, don’t risk a £400 fine, and don’t blight our borough for the sake of £15.”

“They can also collect and clear other types of household waste including removing garages and sheds and clearing houses, garages and gardens.”

There has been a large increase in fly-tipping across the County and all the Leicestershire councils are joining together in May 2018 to raise awareness about fly tipping.

Officers across the county will significantly increase their enforcement actions against fly-tipping and target businesses to ensure they are also disposing of their waste correctly.

The following are crimes and residents will be fined £400 if they are caught in the act of:

• Leaving bags of rubbish by litter bins or in laybys
• Leaving sofas and electrical items on the roadside, hoping for collection by a scrap metal collector
• Leaving rubbish at the recycling banks
• Using an unlicensed waste carrier.

If residents do not want to use the council’s services, then they should ring the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 to check the person they are using is a licensed waste carrier. Residents are advised to always ask the person they are using for a waste transfer note. Anyone who does not do this could be fined or prosecuted and end up with a criminal record.

Visit 'get a large item colleted' to book a collection or call Hinckley 238141.

Visit fly-tipping to report any findings.