By Andy Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Householders in Ashfield could be given a one-off annual opportunity to ditch old fridges and mattresses free of charge as part of plans to revamp the district’s Big Spring Clean.
For the last four years, council waste teams have spent three weeks of February and March touring the district collecting bulky items from kerbsides.
However the District Council says too many homes are relying on the annual collection to remove items such as old beds and washing machines that are “hoarded in readiness”.
During the rest of the year, the council charges a minimum £14 to take away a bulky item.
Now it wants to give every property access to one free bulky waste collection – of any number of items – at any point in the calendar.
Council staff involved in next year’s Big Spring Clean will then focus on sprucing-up local ‘grot spots’.
Councillor Jason Zadrozny, leader of the council for the Ashfield Independents, says the move would take pressure off waste teams but still allow residents to dispose of multiple items in one single collection.
He said: “We track who books bulky waste collections and those numbers have gone down.
“Some people hold onto things like a bed or a washing machine because they can’t afford to tip it or get it collected – so they hold on for the spring clean.
“What we’ve decided to do is say to every house, rather than waiting for the spring clean you can get one bulky waste visit for free every year at the point when it suits them.
“That’s a visit, not a single collection, and you could get rid of several items at once.
“That helps us because it takes massive pressure off during the three weeks (of Big Spring Clean) and it means it’s much more flexible for residents.”
The change comes as data in the council’s cabinet papers revealed the number of items collected in the 2021 event decreased compared to the previous year.
The collection took place in February, during the third national lockdown, and saw 8,108 items collected.
This was 1,078 items fewer than the 2020 event, which took place before the pandemic.
However, the weight of items collected actually increased from 249.1 tonnes to 296.08 tonnes year-on-year, and the number of ‘return customers’ increased from 1,362 in 2020 to 1,803 in 2021.
This amounted to 48.4 per cent of overall customers, with the authority seeing a rise in the number of people returning to use the collection.
Cabinet members have been recommended to confirm the new system when they meet on Monday, July 19. The plan will go to full council on July 29.
