Levels of new rubbish tip charges set by county council

According East Sussex County Council, its Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will soon begin charging to dispose of certain types of non-household waste – including soil, asbestos and tyres.

While the principle of charging for waste disposal was approved by the council’s cabinet in June, details of the final scheme and pricing were revealed on Thursday (August 23).

The council says it will charge £4 to dispose of each bag of soil, hardcore and plasterboard, while tyre disposal will be charged at £2 per item.

Meanwhile disposal of bonded asbestos will be charged at £6 per bag or sheet.

The charges are expected to come into force within the next month (September).

According to the council, the charges are expected to ‘fully recover’ the costs to operate the disposal service and generate council income.

The charges were approved in June as part of a range of measures intended to reduce the council’s waste budget by £720,000.

Other measures include the closure of two HWRCs – one in Wadhurst, the other in Forest Row.

The closure plans proved controversial with residents, who petitioned the council not to close the facilities.

Other savings to the council’s waste budget are expected to be found by changing opening hours at several HWRCs in the county. Initially the sites in Lewes and Mountfield will change to 9am to 4pm although other centres are expected to see opening hours change in the future.