To seek approval for new charges for commercial waste recycling and for waste collected from charities in the south of the county.
Decision type: Non-key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Decision due: 17 Jul 2012 by Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management, Strategic Housing, Operational Property and Waste
Department: Place
Consultation process
A comparison with fees and charges imposed by the private sector for similar services was not possible due to the very different pricing mechanisms involved. Councils primarily adopt a fixed schedule of charges that apply to all customers. Private sector companies prefer to tailor pricing to the particular customer (which enables them to take factors such as distance travelled into account).
In order that some form of benchmarking data could be used to test the reasonableness of Wiltshire’s proposed charges, an examination of charges levied by other councils was undertaken. Relatively few councils provide a commercial recycling service and even fewer provide information on charges on their websites for ease of access. However, for six councils that do provide such services and data the range of charges was between £71 and £160 per annum (compared with £110.50 for Wiltshire cardboard labels) with a mean of £115.50.