Fly-tipping fears over collection charges

CHARGING for bulky waste collection will lead to more fly-tipping say Oldham’s Lib-Dem councillors.

Labour councillors say the £15.50 fee for collection by the Bulky Bob seervice is one of the cheapest in Greater Manchester, introduced to protect jobs and services.

Lib-Dem councillor Dave Murphy said: “Prior to the charges from April 2013, bulky waste collection was free. Now people have to pay £15.50 for up to three items, a particular burden on households with the lowest incomes.

“Liberal Democrats expressed concern there would be an increase in fly-tipping, particularly in the poorest and most deprived parts of the borough.”

Across Greater Manchester, only Wigan (£10) and Bury (£15) offer cheaper bulky waste collection services.

A report shows collections have dropped from around 25,000 items to around 18,000 since the charge was introduced.

Councillor Murphy added: “The latest figures show an increase in fly-tipping from 5,092 in the year prior to charges, to 5,646 in the last financial year, and 3,176 in the half year since April.

“If this trend continues then we will see well over 6,000 instances by the end of March next year, an increase of over 20 per cent.

“The report claims that there is ‘no empirical evidence to show a connection between fly-tipping and charging for this service’, but this looks pretty conclusive to me.”

Labour Councillor Barbara Brownridge said: “The way we report fly tipping has changed and the increase quoted is due to the change. The council is committed to encouraging residents to dispose of their waste in a responsible way.”