Leading Liberal Democrat councillors are in discussions with Council officers over whether charges for the collection of bulky waste can be relaxed or even cut in order to fight fly-tipping in the borough.
The move is one of several initiatives that Liberal Democrat members are looking to bring forward in order to combat the dumping of waste in Waltham Forest. Other measures currently being investigated include pre-advertised local skip placements for those struggling to dispose of waste items and further work with letting agents to inform tenants of waste collection services.
Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr John Macklin said:
“I’ll be speaking to the Labour members who are responsible for fly tipping and enforcement, the cleanliness of our parks and Ascham Homes to see how all of these portfolio areas can better tackle the problem.
“Our street cleaning is provided on a much smaller budget than some neighbouring London boroughs so we can’t afford to waste money collecting fly tipping.
“The Council’s current rates for catching flytippers are not nearly enough to put off those determined to dump rubbish, so we think that it makes sense to actually take some action now and be a bit more imaginative in how we use our resources.
“I believe that the Council needs to divert more funds to this service. But it makes sense for all areas of the Council to work harder to ensure that the money we do currently have can be spent efficiently”.
Current Council policy offers each household three bulky waste collections a year, where commonly dumped items such as mattresses and washing machines are collected free of charge. However a fee is charged for the collection of other items such as dismantled baths.
Cllr Macklin continued:
“A resident who wanted to dispose of an item not on the ‘free’ list pointed out that the charge could be seen as encouraging people to fly tip in order to avoid paying the fee – and with the Council picking up the tab to clear the item up.
“Budgets are tight in this area, and that’s why I’m asking officers to look at ways to divert more funding to keeping our streets clean.