Derby residents' fury at bulky waste 'postcode lottery'

THE people of Derby are in a "postcode lottery" with some residents having to pay for the collection of bulky waste while others don't. Councillor Eric Ashburnerhas attacked the practice after helping with a review of the city council's customer services. A council report on the matter said the bulky waste issue created "confusion, resentment and frustration". It found many residents were angry about having to pay for items such as tables and sofas to be collected when they knew other people got the service for free. Mr Ashburner, who represents Littleover ward, said: "Someone calls up asking for a bulky waste collection and is advised they are going to have to pay. But they know their friends one or two streets away get it for free. "It's very much a postcode lottery." He said there should be a "uniform" system for bulky waste collections across the city in the interests of "evenness and fairness". The issue has come about because it is down to each ward's neighbourhood board to decide if they want to fund the collections. The boards, made up of people like councillors, local residents and police, get cash from the city council which they decide how best to spend in their areas. So far, three boards – Oakwood, Derwent and Alvaston – have arranged for the bulky waste service to be free in their area in 2014-15. Residents in the other 14 wards have to pay £11.45 for one item, £17.70 for two to five items, and £24.95 for six to 15 to be collected. In 2013-14, four boards, including Oakwood and Derwent, decided to fund it using part of their share of the £612,000 the council provided. This is split between different areas depending on "need". Asked why Littleover's board didn't introduce free collections, Mr Ashburner said it couldn't afford them. When Mayor of Derby Fareed Hussain was told about the free collections he said it would now be considered in his Arboretum ward, where there is a problem with fly-tipping. Of the 6,651 recorded incidents in the city between April 1 last year and March 13 this year, 5,173 were in the Normanton and Arboretum wards. Mr Hussain, speaking as a member of the area's neighbourhood board, said: "We will put it on the agenda, look at the impact on the ward and, if by making it free we can reduce the number of incidents, then perhaps we should. "It costs the council a lot more to go and pick up the mess if the rubbish is fly-tipped." Councillor Mick Barker, vice-chairman of Oakwood neighbourhood board, said the decision to introduce the free collections in his ward was made "to stop fly-tipping". He said: "There is still some but it is better than it was [before the free system was introduced]. Bulky waste, in particular, doesn't sit for weeks in gardens." Asked if he thought free bulky waste collections should be city-wide, he said: "It should be looked at but, if you're going to do it, one would hope Streetpride would take it up." A council spokeswoman said the decision on whether to provide the free collections was up to the neighbourhood boards. WHAT THE COUNCIL WILL COLLECT

BULKY waste that the city council will collect includes furniture, mattresses and large electrical items.

Fridges and freezers are collected free of charge in all wards.

Arranging for collection works in the same way in every ward.

People should e-mail streetpride@derby.gov.uk. They will then be told a collection date when payment is received.

A table and up to four chairs, a three-piece suite and up to four black sacks count as one item.

If someone wants more than 15 items collected they should contact the authority's trade waste team on Derby 641500 to get a quote, which will be a minimum of £35.

The council will not collect asbestos, bathroom, kitchen and other fitted units, carpets, concrete, rubble, soil and general builders' waste, doors, gates and windows and window frames, fluid containers, such as oil drums or storage heaters, gas bottles, small items of domestic waste that haven't been put in sacks or boxes, vehicle parts, sheds, fence panels or greenhouses.