Cash-strapped Derbyshire council seeks views on cutbacks and charges at household waste centres

Derbyshire County Council’s proposals are part of cost-saving plans following large increases in waste disposal at its nine sites and after a multi-million pound out-of-court settlement payout by the council and Derby City Council following a dispute with a waste management team.

They also coincide with a recent shocking announcement by the county council to introduce a number of overall cost-cutting measures in an effort to reduce its massive predicted budget overspend of £46m in the forthcoming months.

Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said: “Like many councils across the country, the county council is facing huge budget pressures from external forces including higher than anticipated inflation which impacts all areas of our expenditure.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to make the services we provide more efficient and effective and we want to know what local residents and businesses think about changes proposed to the way our recycling centres are run in the future.”

The planned changes to Derbyshire’s household waste recycling centres have surfaced after a 32 per cent increase in the amount of waste collected at the sites since 2017 and 2018 was recorded which has risen to 85,000 tonnes a year, costing an extra £700,000 to £800,000 in annual disposal and recycling costs.

This increase also coincided with neighbouring councils outside Derbyshire introducing measures to restrict people living outside of their area from using their recycling centres, according to the council.

Residents are now being asked for their views in a public consultation on the plans which include reducing the number of hours or days the centres are open from seven-days-a-week based on possibly closing during less busy periods and remaining open at busier times, as well as charging residents to dispose of tyres and asbestos at the recycling centres.

The county council is not required to accept tyres and asbestos at its recycling centres and even though it currently does so at no charge most neighbouring councils charge residents or do not accept these materials.

Derbyshire’s sites collect seven times more asbestos and tyres per resident compared to Derby City Council, according to the county council.

The proposals open to discussion in the consultation also include allowing local businesses and sole traders to dispose of commercial waste at some recycling centres for a reasonable charge because currently trade waste is not accepted.

Another proposal to be considered is whether the council should adopt the Government definition on the limited amounts of DIY waste that can be disposed of at recycling centres for free which is not more than four drop-offs over a four-weeks for construction waste with limits on the quantities.

The Government limit that is allowed for residents taking construction waste to a site in one drop-off is up to two 50 litre rubble bags or one bulky item approximately no larger than a bathtub.

Derbyshire County Council are also asking residents what support they might need to access a vehicle registration scheme at recycling centres to make sure those using the sites are from the county and are entitled to use them.

The vehicle Automatic Number Plate Recognition scheme aims to stop interlopers from outside Derbyshire using the county’s household waste recycling centres.

Cabinet members approved plans to spend up to £200,000 to install an ANPR system at waste sites which will not only identify vehicle interlopers from outside Derbyshire using the county’s waste sites but will also allow them to be charged.

Derbyshire County Council runs nine recycling centres across the county for Derbyshire residents and these sites accept household waste only and are open seven-days-a-week from 8.30am to 6pm, except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

These include Chesterfield, Bolsover, Loscoe, Northwood at Darley Dale, Waterswallows near Buxton, Ilkeston, Glossop, Ashbourne, and Bretby.

Councillor Renwick added: “All comments will be taken into account and I’d encourage as many people as possible to take part in the public consultation which is available online at derbyshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentreviews.”

The struggling Conservative-led county council previously announced in July that it had agreed to pay out a £56.93m share of a total £93.5m pay out with Derby City Council to Resource Recovery Solutions’ waste management team’s administrators to resolve a dispute after the local authorities had terminated a contract with the waste management team to manage a waste facility in Sinfin, Derby.

And the council also announced in September other tough cost-cutting plans in an effort to reduce a massive predicted budget overspend of £46m in the forthcoming months.

Those interested in submitting their views on the council’s proposed plans for its nine household waste recycling centres can do so by visiting derbyshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentreviews online.