Waste permits provide fairer deal for York residents (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

Waste permits provide fairer deal for York residents

September 12, 2008 12:00 AM

Ensuring that York taxpayers only pay for the waste that York residents produce is the principle behind new proposals for tighter controls at Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Household waste sites at Hazel Court, Beckfield Lane and Towthorpe are provided to allow residents to dispose of bulky refuse and construction and demolition waste from DIY projects. However, there has been a marked increase in the amount of building waste being disposed of at the sites and research by the Council has shown that a significant proportion of it is actually trade waste, disguised as household waste.

Under the current system, all businesses that dispose of waste at these centres should pay to do so, but some smaller businesses use trailers and private cars and try to get away without paying.

Facilities are available for the disposal of trade waste, for which a fee is payable, and it is unfair for Council taxpayers to pick up the tab (through landfill tax) for those rogue traders who try to avoid paying to dispose of their waste. Some people from outside York, who do not contribute to the costs of the service, are also making use of our facilities in order to avoid restrictions placed on the sites where they live.

The permit system is intended for people who use trailers. They will need to apply for a permit and in the first instance up to 12 can be issued to a York resident in a year. This should prevent people using the sites for disposing of commercial waste without paying. This will not impact on residents using the sites for legitimate purposes as there will be no restriction on the number of times that a private car can be used to transport rubbish. Other restrictions on the size of vehicles and times that the sites can be used by larger vehicles will help to ensure that York residents can easily dispose of their waste whilst discouraging some traders from trying to beat the system.

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, said:

"This new scheme will ensure that York taxpayers only pay for the waste that York residents produce.

It is important that we provide good quality accessible facilities for both residents and businesses, but residents and legitimate businesses should not foot the bill for rogue traders and non York residents who try to evade their responsibilities."