CLA South West welcomes abolition of council DIY waste charges
CLA South West Director Ann Maidment welcomes the move to drive responsible waste management
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has responded to the government's announcement that council DIY waste charges are to be abolished at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).
This move aims to support householders to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner. This is good news for residents who use the regions waste recycling centres where the local authorities still charge, but also landowners who often pay the price for this increasing rural crime.
Official figures released at the start of 2023 did show a decrease in fly tipping incidents, yet many rural areas across the regions saw a marked increase in the number of reported fly tipping incidents including Torridge District Council, Cotswold District Council, East Devon District Council, North Devon District Council, Sedgemoor District Council, and Torbay Council.
However, incidents of fly-tipping on private land are not included in official figures, yet this is where an increasing amount of waste is dumped.
The CLA South West, which represents the interest of farmers, landowners and rural businesses in Wiltshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Somerset, welcomed this move as it hopes removing the charges will drive a more responsible approach to waste management.
Ann Maidment, South West Regional Director at the Country Land and Business Association, commented: "The UK Government is now getting serious about fly-tipping, and we warmly welcome this announcement. Fundamentally, making it cheaper and easier for people to get rid of their waste means they will be less likely to dump it illegally. We continue to work with the government to find new ways of reducing fly-tipping, which continues to not only act as a blight on our landscape but as a serious threat to nature and our members' businesses."