PICTURES: New charges '˜will increase fly-tipping' in Chesterfield

Fears new rules for waste disposal may lead to more fly-tipping in north east Derbyshire have been raised.
Fly-tipping on Longside Road in Holymoorside.Fly-tipping on Longside Road in Holymoorside.
Fly-tipping on Longside Road in Holymoorside.

New rules on waste disposal came in on Monday, April 3 at nine Derbyshire County Council recycling sites across the county.

While household waste can still be disposed of for free, charges now apply to concrete, cement, mortar, rubble, hardcore and ceramics.

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Reader, Keith Lawson, said he thinks the changes will increase the volume of fly tipping seen in north east Derbyshire.

“With these new charges coming in now, more will be dumped as people go for the easy option,” he said.

“It almost feels like the councils are trying to encourage people to do it.”

In addition to a spate of fly-tipping around West Handley, two piles of rubble have been dumped on the fields above Holymoorside in recent weeks.

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One dumping site included no less than four toilets and dozens of plastic bags filled with building waste.

Fly-tipping in on Harewood Road in Holymoorside.Fly-tipping in on Harewood Road in Holymoorside.
Fly-tipping in on Harewood Road in Holymoorside.

A Derbyshire County Council spokesman said: “We thought long and hard before introducing charges for taking some types of rubbish to our recycling centres.

“Our budget will be a third lower in 2018 than in 2010 and we need to find new ways of helping to pay for Derbyshire’s £37.2m waste bill each year.

“Prior to making the change, we consulted a number of other councils which had introduced similar charges. They reported that they had not experienced any significant increases in fly-tipping.”

The spokesman added said the county council would continue to work closely alongside other councils in Derbyshire to minimise any adverse impact.