THE introduction of waste recycling charges in Surrey has been slammed by the Green Party, fearing charging will increase fly tipping and traffic congestion.

From September 1, householders in Surrey face charges starting at £4 for a bag of ‘chargeable waste’ - defined as rubbish arising from construction, home and garden alterations or repairs such as plasterboard, breeze blocks, bricks, rubble, soil, stones, turf, ceramic bathroom fittings and tiles - and £5 for a tyre.

There’s a free daily allowance of one bag. But campaigners believe that will encourage residents to make multiple trips to dispose of waste free of charge, adding to congestion and carbon emissions. 

Opening hours were also cut at many recycling centres across Surrey including Guildford Road in Farnham this April, to save money, and ID checks introduced in many areas.

Jonathan Essex, South East Green Party chairman and county councillor for Redhill, said: “Recycling saves resources and creates jobs. It’s a false economy to cut down our recycling services and won’t give us the future we deserve.

“For every job in waste disposal, the same ton of waste creates 10 jobs in reuse and recycling. Better recycling by councils is only half the story as we’re sending a lot of our waste abroad to be processed.

“The Government and councils need to work together to create better resource management across the UK.”

Responding, Mike Goodman, Surrey’s cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “People can still get rid of one bag of DIY waste a day for free but with rising demand for services making money ever tighter - adult social care alone is adding £24 million each year – this particular change will save £1.8 million annually while keeping all Surrey’s recycling centres open and affecting only those doing more significant construction work.”