Charges at Surrey’s Recycling Centers
September 2016 nine out of Surrey’s sixteen recycling centers introduced charges on “non-household” waste as part of Surrey County Council’s efforts to cut back its expenses and maintain a balanced budget.
Surrey’s residents are not happy
Several of Surrey’s residents are however displeased with this policy and feel that the priorities of the conservative-led Council are misplaced. Therefore, a petiton signed by more than 5000 local residents has been submitted to the Council in order to overturn the “exorbitant” charges. The petition cites the county-wide prevelant issue of flytipping. Indeed, Surrey County Council is aware of an issue and in light of this fact, it is baffling, why did they choose to make cuts in this particular area.
Cabinet Member Mike Goodman said :
“Some people are concerned there will be a big increase in fly-tipping as a result of our changes but I believe those fears are misplaced.”
Unfortunately, Mr. Goodman did not comment on why he believed that the concerns of Surrey’s residents were misplaced.
Fly-tipping in Surrey 2014-2015.
What are the charges?
- £5 per tyre or part tyre
- £4 per bag or part bag of chargeable waste; or per item or per sheet of plasterboard
- Bags no bigger than 50cm x 77cm
- Items such as a concrete fence post, ceramic bath, cistern, paving slab
- Sheets of plasterboard no bigger than 120cm x 240cm
- If these materials are loose, a charge of £50 will apply per car load
- All of the above charges are inclusive of VAT
Which Community Recycling Centres accept charging scheme waste?
- Blenheim Road, Epsom, KT19 9DL
- Charlton Lane, Shepperton, TW17 8QA
- Horley Road, Earlswood, RH1 6PN
- Lyne Lane, Chertsey, KT16 0AR
- Martyrs Lane, Woking, GU21 5NJ
- Petworth Road, Witley, GU8 5QW
- Randalls Road, Leatherhead, KT22 0BA
- Slyfield Industrial Estate, Guildford, GU1 1RU
- Wilton Road, Camberley, GU15 2QW
Recycling Centre
Which Community Recycling Centres aren’t accepting charging scheme waste?
- Bond Road, Warlingham, CR6 9SD
- Bourne Mill, Farnham, GU9 9PS
- Elmbridge Road, Cranleigh, GU6 8JX
- Chaldon Road, Caterham, CR3 5PG
- Ranmore Road, Dorking, RH4 1TL
- Swift Lane, Bagshot, GU19 5NJ
What methods of payment will be available?
Payment can only be made by Visa or Mastercard debit and credit cards. Cash, cheques and other credit cards such as American Express or Diners Club cannot be accepted.
Payment will need to be made to the Charging Scheme Officer at the site entrance before you are given access to the chargeable containers.
Will there be any exceptions to the charges?
You will have a free daily allowance of chargeable waste from the construction, alteration or repair of your home and garden of one bag OR one item OR one sheet of plasterboard (see size restrictions above).
There is no free allowance for motorised vehicle tyres.
Bicycle tyres will be accepted free of charge.
What about other waste?
You can dispose of all general household waste including biodegradable and organic garden waste free of charge such as:
- Grass cuttings (soil and stones are part of the charging waste scheme)
- Hedge trimmings, twigs, small branches
- Plants, flowers, leaves and weeds
If you take these types of waste to any of the sites in a van, pickup or trailer you will require a van permit
What has Surrey County Council said about this?
In response to the new charges, Surrey County Council said: “We will continue to accept basic DIY waste at recycling centres as it introduces a scheme that will cut costs for taxpayers.
“Many councils in the region are bringing in charges for construction waste such as rubble and cement but will not allow any free allowance, whereas Surrey will still let residents drop off one bag a day of this without charge.
“All household waste will still be free to dispose of at the centres but the council is bringing in charging for major construction work to prevent Surrey’s taxpayers footing the bill.
“A number of councils already charge for construction waste or do not allow it to be dropped off.
“In the last three years alone, the amount of construction waste being dropped off at Surrey recycling centres has grown nearly a third leaving taxpayers with an annual disposal bill of nearly £1 million.”
Is this legal?
Although charging has been introduced in September, the legality of the matter has now been questionned by some opposition councillors, referring to the 2015 government response to consultations “Preventing ‘backdoor’ charging at household waste recycling centres”. It remains to be seen what happens to what is often referred to as “The Tory Tip Tax”.
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