The Lib Dems have called on Dudley Council to temporarily waive their bulky waste collection charge amid a growing fly-tipping epidemic that’s growing in the borough.

Increasing budget pressures has meant that many councils now charge for the once free service. Dudley Council currently charge between £23.10 and £61.61 for bulky items to be collected.

Bulky waste typically includes furniture and large household electrical items, there is a separate charge for White Goods.

The LGA earlier this year revealed that nationally there has been a 40% increase in fly tipping, and called for increased council powers to tackle this rise.

Liberal Democrats in Dudley believe that the high price of appropriately disposing of White Goods and Bulky Items is partly to blame for the huge rise in fly tipping and are calling on the council to scrap the charge all together. Their spokesperson for Cradley and Wollesocte said:

“While there are certainly fly tipping hotspots, such as Lye for example, flytipping is a growing problem across the whole borough.

“The Government need to review funding for local councils in order to tackle the issue, but Dudley Council must bear its share of the blame too. They have thrown empty words at this issue and hoped it would go away, but it is obvious now that that is not the case.

“Too many towns are feeling left behind, and I have no doubt that the extortionate charge for disposing of bulky items is partly to blame for the fly-tipping epidemic in Dudley.”

In March of this year Dudley Council vowed to take on flytipping in the borough, but their proposals didn’t include changes to the Bulky Item Collection Charge. The Lib Dem spokesperson added:

“Flytipping is a crime, and those caught in the act should be charged appropriately, but quite clearly fines alone are not cleaning up our streets – lets end the collection charge for a while, and hope that that encourages people to dispose of their waste legally, and not let in be a burden to others.

“If it works, then the council should consider making it free permanently, or designate a week in every year where the fee is waived”