New system in place at recycling centres following change in legislation
Oxfordshire residents can now dispose of limited amounts of DIY waste for free at the county’s household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) by using an online booking system.
The booking system, which was launched by Oxfordshire County Council today, means householders wanting to use their free DIY waste allocation will need to book in advance through the website.
The move follows a change in government legislation which now permits small amounts of household DIY waste to be disposed of for free. The legislation came into force last week.
Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and 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.
“The change in legislation is aimed at small amounts of DIY waste produced by a householder as part of home improvements they are carrying out themselves.”
Online bookings for free DIY waste only are for a single visit. Oxfordshire residents will need to register their address, vehicle registration number, email address, and the date they wish to visit, along with the site they want to use.
They will then receive an immediate email confirmation of their booking, which must be shown to site team on arrival. It is important residents stick to their booked date otherwise they may be charged, and only authorised bookings will be accepted.
Free allocations are limited to five standard DIY items for free, or one plasterboard sheet, once every seven days. Where more than the allocated free allowance is presented, the cheapest items will treated as free.
Any DIY waste above this level or deposited more frequently than every seven days will remain fully chargeable at the advertised rates. Full details and examples of charging scenarios are available on the Oxfordshire County Council website and will be available on site.
Examples of DIY waste include baths, sinks, toilets, cisterns, and a 20 litre bag of rubble or tiles. Five of these items would make up a household’s free seven-day allocation.
The booking system for free DIY waste will only permit residents to make one visit every seven days. For example, if a free booking is made for a Tuesday, the next free allocation will not be permitted until the following Tuesday.
However, all residents can visit more often than every seven days, but the DIY waste brought on those visits will then be fully chargeable at the advertised rates.
The booking system and free DIY allowance is only for Oxfordshire residents. Non-Oxfordshire residents can still use the county’s sites for DIY waste without booking but will be charged in full at the advertised rates.
To give people time to adjust to these changes, site teams will operate flexibly during the first month. Residents will, for their first visit with DIY waste during January, be able to deposit their free allowance of DIY waste without booking, although they may be asked to make a booking on site, through a smartphone, or reminded to make one for any subsequent visit.
Full enforcement of the booking system will go live from 1 February 2024.
Booking is only required for the free allocation of DIY waste. Any other chargeable DIY waste, or other household waste, does not require a booking, apart from the existing booking system for asbestos.
