South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have reopened their paid-for bulky waste collection service for large household items and are also issuing a warning about fly-tipping while other outlets for domestic waste remain closed.
The bulky waste collection service was temporarily stopped to allow the councils’ waste contractor, Biffa, to prioritise the important kerbside household collections while members of their waste collection crews were off sick or self-isolating. Biffa has now built up sufficient resilience in its workforce and can now provide the paid-for service again. The situation is being regularly monitored and residents should be aware that if staffing levels fall the service may need to be suspended again.
With household waste recycling centres still closed, along with charity shops and their donation banks, there are fewer places to dispose of unwanted items that do not fit into kerbside collections.
The councils have issued a warning to anybody tempted to fly-tip – this includes leaving rubbish next to litter bins – that they will investigate and prosecute anyone found to be responsible.
South Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member for housing and the environment, Cllr David Rouane said: “Residents should remember that we can recycle up to 80 per cent of household waste using the green recycling bin. We would also ask people to think about using a composter in the garden if they can. We’d like to reassure residents that the environmental protection team is continuing to investigate incidents of fly-tipping and anyone found to have dumped waste could face a fine or prosecution.”
Vale of White Horse District Council cabinet member for housing and the environment, Cllr Jenny Hannaby said: “We would urge people to store their waste if possible and it can be safely disposed of when the household waste recycling centres and donation banks reopen. We understand this is difficult for some, which is why we are pleased to be able to offer the bulky household waste collection service again.”
Notes to editors
If residents decide to pay someone to dispose of their waste they need to check the person they are employing is a registered waste carrier and make sure they are provided with a waste transfer note to state where the rubbish is being taken from and to. More info on our waste removal pages (Vale and South).
Residents can put out extra recycling that can’t fit in the bin if it’s left in a cardboard box or in a clear bag next to the green bin. Food waste is collected very week, again if there is too much for the bin then residents can leave extra in a bag on top of the food waste bin.
Bulky waste collections
It is a paid-for service costing £40 for up to three items – and £8 per additional item, up to a maximum of six items.
As the council offices are currently closed to the public, at this time we can only take orders online using credit or debit cards for payment.
Examples of items collected:
- furniture (such as sofas, chairs, and tables)
- televisions
- washing machines
- mattresses
- fridges and freezers – household only (not ones made for commercial use.
The council cannot collect any type of commercial waste or DIY waste.