Caerphilly County Borough Council has agreed to continue its policy of charging for bulky item disposal.
Last year the authority introduced charges for the collection of bulky items such as sofas and TVs for disposal.
There were fears the charging policy would lead to an increase in fly-tipping.
Figures show there has been an 86% decrease in requests for the service since the charges were introduced and, according to the council, there has been no rise in fly-tipping.
Cllr Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for public services, said: “Concerns were expressed when we introduced the charges that people would dump these items rather than pay for collection, but it is clear that residents are taking a responsible approach and using the excellent facilities on offer for disposal or recycling.”
Savings in the region of £150,000 have been achieved by reducing the amount of staff needed to undertake the collections. Now only one crew is required to respond to calls and they other staff have been redeployed to undertake other key duties relating to recycling and waste collection.
Cllr Ackerman added: “These findings prove that there has been no adverse affect following the introduction of the charges and I would like to thank residents for their responsible approach to waste disposal. As always, I would urge people to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible at all times.”
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet recently agreed to continue charging.
The cost of the council service to residents is £15 for collection of up to three items and £20 for collection of four to six items. Other charges apply for single items, such as fridges, and can be found on the council’s website.
Well, anything with a hint of metal to it, is collected free of charge by the touring scrap vans. This includes fridges and freezers. So, whilst fly tipping might not have increased, illegal disposal certainly has.