East Devon developers to be charged for recycling and waste containers
Recycling vehicle - Credit: Archant
Developers in East Devon will be charged for supplying new build properties with recycling and waste containers.
Currently the council provides all new properties with the containers free of charge, but the cost of supplying them to between 750 and 900 new East Devon homes every year is escalating.
The council’s recycling and waste partnership board recommended to the cabinet that developers are charged £80 for each set of recycling and waste containers which include a grey wheeled bin, a green box, green sack, food caddy and kitchen caddy. Where a development has a communal waste collection service, the developer will be charged £300 for every communal bin supplied.
The proposals were unanimously agreed by the cabinet on January 2.
John Golding, strategic lead for housing, health and environment, told councillors around £112,000 a year is spent by the council on supplying containers each year.
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He said: “We have to make some savings and we can charge, like other authorities to, for containers, and we estimate this will bring in £40,000 a year of additional income.
“We think now is the time to introduce these charges.”
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They also agreed to charge householders if they have to replace their grey wheeled bins.
Residents who lose or damage their waste bins will now be charged £30 for a replacement, although replacements will still be provided free if their bin is stolen, or damaged by the council’s contractors.
All recycling containers – a green box, green sack, food caddy and kitchen caddy – will continue to be replaced free of charge.
The charges come in to force from April 1 and will be reviewed annually.
Recommending the changes, cllr Tom Wright, the council’s portfolio holder for the environment, said: “We spend more than £120,000 per year on containers for recycling and waste, and have been supplying them free of charge to developers of new properties. We want the developer of the new property to be responsible for the cost of supplying recycling and waste containers to new properties.
“We’ve also agreed to the principle of charging householders for replacement grey wheeled bins and have been careful not to recommend a charge for recycling containers.”
