Free bulky rubbish collections to be replaced by £5 pay-as-you-go service

REGULAR bulky refuse collections in Bassetlaw are to be scrapped in favour of an on-demand service starting next month.

At a cabinet meeting last Tuesday, members voted to change the method of bulky refuse collection as of Saturday, August 7, from a service every six weeks to one that requires prior booking.

Under the new rules, a charge of £5 per item would be levied across the entire district. Currently, the system is charged at £11 per item, though 14 per cent of households are exempt from any charge.

The decision received a mixed response from local figureheads, with local tenants and residents association chairman Tanice Ellis praising the equal fees, while Bassetlaw MP John Mann has renewed calls for free collection to avoid the risk of fly-tipping.

Councillor Mike Pugsley, who prepared a report into the matter reviewed by cabinet last week, said the change meant all residents would be treated equally by paying the same rate.

He said: "Now everyone will get the benefit, instead of just the few.

"This will give everyone in the district the same service as opposed to the situation we had where 14 per cent of the district had a free service and others did not.

"It could have resulted in the council getting a serious claim for inequality.

"This is overdue because now it will be completely fair to other people."

With the absence of periodical collections, residents would instead call the council and arrange for collection.

A collection vehicle would then be called out within a maximum of a week.

Chairman of the Retford East Tenants and Residents' Association Mr Ellis said: "I must admit I would have thought if it was £5 per item for everyone district, then it's infinitely more fair than charges for some and not for others."

But the news has infuriated Bassetlaw MP John Mann, who believes the collection service should be free of charge, and remain on a six-week basis.

He said: "It's an outrage that people have to pay and it will lead to a big increase in dumping, just as we saw in Retford on Holdenby Close.

"People won't pay it. They should keep the six-weekly service.

"It will increase fly-tipping and there will be a great anger."

Other options examined included a free service across the entire district, introducing a community skip scheme and keeping the service intact.

Mr Pugsley's report warned the free service would affect recycling performance and have "extensive financial implications", while the community skip scheme would also affect recycling, as well as increase the amount of waste.

Once the changes are enacted, collection lorries will no longer compact waste and take it to landfill, but instead carry it away for recycling.