Online booking introduced in Oxfordshire as DIY waste charges end

Small amounts of household DIY waste can now be disposed of for free

A booking system has been introduced at household waste sites in Oxfordshire, following the scrapping of charges for disposing of DIY waste.

Councils can no longer charge for disposing of waste such as rubble, in line with changes in national legislation.

The change is expected to cost Oxfordshire County Council £500,000.

It said online booking for DIY waste was to monitor use and prevent abuse of the free provision.

The government announced in June it would prohibit local authorities from imposing so called "tip taxes".

About a third of local authorities, including Oxfordshire, have previously been charging to dispose of DIY waste at recycling centres.

The change in the law is expected to cost Oxfordshire County Council £500,000

Small amounts of household DIY waste from home improvement work are now permitted to be disposed of for free at the county's seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).

The first five items, or one plasterboard sheet, are free - any more waste is chargeable, as is waste generated by commercial contractors.

Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for environment, said: "We hope people will quickly get used to this new way of doing things and find it a convenient way of disposing of their free allocation of DIY waste.

"By ensuring that people book in advance, we can make sure the system is not abused and the costs to our council taxpayers are minimised."

Tim Bamford, of the Country Land and Business Association said removing charges was a "step in the right direction" in helping to curb fly tipping.

He said 20,000 cases of illegal dumping had been recorded in Oxfordshire in 2023.

"Fundamentally we want to make it easier for people to dispose of their waste in a correct place, rather than chucking it in a hedge or on the side of the street where it costs an awful lot of money to clear up and causes massive environment damage," he added.