ePetition details

Scrap household tip charges

We, the undersigned, petition the county council to scrap household tip charges for inert waste charged; remove the permissible limits on inert household waste; scrap the bureaucratic permit system; and to establish a policy of cooperative working with households disposing of inert waste.

Currently, householders are entitled to a free inert waste permit which will allow you to deliver 10 bags or single items (such as a sink or toilet) of inert waste each calendar year. The maximum dimension of each bag is 600 x 900 mm.

This ePetition ran from 07/08/2017 to 12/09/2017 and has now finished.

85 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

Inert waste is not household waste and the Council has no statutory duty to provide facilities for it at the recycling centres. Most other authorities in the UK have policies relating to inert waste and some do not accept it at all. However, we have always done so because we understand that householders do produce inert waste and we recognise that householders therefore need a convenient means to be able to dispose of this waste. Our policy allows every household in Lancashire to deliver the equivalent of a quarter of a tonne of this type of waste free of charge every year. There is no desire to charge householders for disposing of this waste and the vast majority manage within the limit. However, we have added an option to pay to allow flexibility for householders if they do wish to deposit more than the prescribed limit.

In the current financial climate we have to consider what services are provided and which we can no longer afford. Many other non-statutory services have had to be stopped. We consider that the policy in place is a reasonable compromise which meets the needs of the majority of householders whilst saving tax payers in the region of £0.5m per year. The policy is reviewed annually and the outcome of this petition will be taken into consideration during the next review