Labour-run Ealing Council has been revealed as one of the most expensive boroughs in London for charging residents to collect bulky items along with fridges and freezers, a new report has found.
Residents who have just a few bulky things to get rid of are charged a minimum of £48 for the bulk waste collection service. The cost includes up to eight items.
Neighbouring boroughs Brent and Hounslow offer free disposal of fridges and freezers to its residents while those living in Ealing are charged an additional cost of £32 for each fridge or freezer to be collected.
Over in Harrow, residents can have one free collection a year for up to four items. An additional four items on top costs £26.
Ealing, unlike eight other London boroughs, also does not operate any discounts to senior citizens or those on benefits to help reduce the cost.
In Hounslow residents who get a council tax reduction pay £15 for up to five items to be collected and £3 for each additional item on top.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS on its findings, Mark Hall, Waste Collection expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk said: “Our research shows that Ealing Council has the fourth highest charge for bulky waste collections across the London boroughs. The council has a minimum charge of £48. However, this does cover up to eight items, which is often much higher than the number of items many other councils collect for their minimum charge.
“The council’s website states that they ‘do not offer discounts or refunds’ which unfortunately means that residents on council tax benefits, pension credits, and other support can’t access any financial help for the service. This is common in London though, with 25 out of 33 councils not offering discounts on their bulky waste collection services. Across the UK, 90 councils offer discounts on their service – 24% of total councils.”
Mr Hall added: “The council also charges separately for the collection of fridges, at £32 each. This is unusual for London with 25 out of 33 councils including fridge collections as part of their bulky waste service.
“Ealing Council ranks as the 56th highest out of 382 UK councils for minimum bulky waste charges, so within the top 15%. At BusinessWaste.co.uk we believe it’s vital that councils offer an affordable bulky waste collection service to their residents to encourage responsible waste management. Not only does this support low income households but it also prevents fly-tipping, encourages good health and safety, and protects our environment.”
Councillor Gary Malcolm, leader of Ealing Liberal Democrats told EALING.NEWS: “Liberal Democrats find it sad that Labour-run Ealing Council charge so much when others don’t. This is why so many people dump their waste as they cannot afford it. We should be encouraging people to recycle and reuse by offering free or affordable services.”
Chair of Ealing Green Party, Neil Reynolds told EALING.NEWS of his concerns over the cost of bulk waste collection. He said: “Increased additional charges for residents such as bulk waste collection, are because nationally Labour is continuing Conservative austerity.”
He added: “Making bulk waste collection relatively expensive provides a perverse incentive to fly-tip, which blights the borough and costs the council and tax payers money. The council should consider how they can create collection points for bulk waste and reduce costs and fly-tipping.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “Our bulky waste collection service is £48 for up to 8 items, which makes our collection cheaper per item when compared to other collection services.
“If residents don’t have 8 items, a good idea is to get together with neighbours, see if they have any bulky waste and share the cost.
“Fridges and freezers are not included in this price due to the need to separate parts in these items for specialised recycling. In line with the majority of other boroughs, a discount is not available on this service.
“Residents can also take bulky items to our Greenford Reuse and Recycling Centre for free, or many suppliers of new fridges and freezers (and other large items) will dispose of the old one for a fee when the new one is delivered, which can be convenient for residents.
“There are multiple options available for disposing of bulky waste, and the service we provide is good value for money per item. Everyone should always dispose of their bulky waste in a responsible way, or they are at risk of receiving a fine of £400 for fly-tipping.”
