Extra council tax due despite fewer refuse collections during cold snap

It has been announced that many households whose rubbish was left uncollected by the refuse service over the Christmas period and during the cold snap that followed could actually end up paying more council tax as a result of this. As a result of the bad weather less rubbish was recycled and instead ended up in landfills, which resulted in extra tax being incurred.

The additional amount being charged is only a small amount, with the average likely to be a little over one pound per affected household, but for many this is not acceptable given that they have already had to put up with uncollected refuse for weeks.

Many local authorities are still struggling to get the backlog of refuse sorted out, and this means that much of the stuff that would have been recycled under normal circumstances will now end up being chucked into landfills. There is a £40 tax levied on every ton of landfill, and it is likely that these additional costs will be passed on to council tax payers.

It is estimated that the additional tax costs resulting from the extra waste that has had to go to landfills instead of being recycled could amount to millions of pounds in total, and this is likely to cost the average household £1.27 in additional council tax. The small amount of the charge will not change the fact that not only have households had to struggle with uncollected rubbish for weeks in some cases but they have also been made to pay money – however small the amount – for the privilege.

There are also concerns that Britain could miss its overall target when it comes to landfill waste levels for 2013, and this could result in a fine from the European Union of around £200 million.

Tags: Recyclable materials, Landfill in the United Kingdom, environment, Sustainability, Taxation in the United Kingdom, Waste management, Recycling