The Isle of Wight Council has moved to reassure Island residents and businesses that its household waste recycling centres will continue to accept soft furnishings, such as sofas and armchairs.
The assurance follows the introduction of new Environment Agency regulations requiring all upholstered seating to be separated from other waste and safely disposed of by incineration.
For most residents, this will mean little change other than their padded seating and other soft furnishings placed into a separate container at one of the council’s household waste recycling centres at Afton Marsh and Lynnbottom.
For businesses using the Commercial Waste and Recycling Centre to ‘pay as you throw’ for their own waste (same entry point as the household recycling centre), the council requests upholstered domestic seating (sofas, cushions, chairs etc) is brought in a separate load from other waste and placed in the separate container.
Mixed loads will be charged as all containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
Some private waste carriers who have a separate contract with Thalia, the council’s waste service provider, have been signposted to alternative disposal facilities for such items due to regulatory and capacity issues at the current waste transfer station (located at Lynnbottom and operated by Thalia), which they had previously used.
The council will continue to collect soft furnishings as part of its bulky waste collection service and reusable soft furnishings for free as part of its reuse service.
Natasha Dix, the council’s strategic manager for environment, said:
“We want to reassure residents that all households and all commercial businesses can continue to bring their own waste, including soft furnishings, to one of our recycling centres.
“We have dedicated bays at both of our recycling centres for people disposing such items — please make the meet and greet person aware on arrival, and we will then dispose the items in accordance with the new guidance.
“For businesses delivering their own waste, we ask for this to go to the Commercial Waste Recycling Centre at Lynnbottom. This includes sofas, chairs etc.”
Councillor Karen Lucioni, Cabinet member for waste services, said:
“We are an island of conscientious recyclers who love and care about our environment.
“Our waste service provider is working hard to ensure we can comply with the changes in the Environment Agency’s regulations at our sites, and at the soon to be finally commissioned Energy from Waste Plant.
“I would like to reassure the private waste carriers on the Island that the request not to bring POPs to site is only a temporary measure due to capacity to store these materials at this time.
Residents can check whether a company has a waste carriers licence on the Environment Agency website.
Visit https://beta.iow.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/ to book a bulky waste collection or a slot to visit one of the council’s household waste and recycling centres.
So can I,the poor non driving parent get a waste carrier to dump my old sofa without having to pay over £100 – no ?. Or should I just leave out on road?. Why can’t the council just charge everyone same – a small fee say £5 ?. The way they are doing will mean more will be dumped in skips or fly tipped.
Just continue to use the Council’s bulk waste collection service 4 items for £40.
So no change from last year!
Just fly tip it like everyone else does. Seems to be common in Ryde. The kids will cart it of to set fire to it in the park.
How can he fly tip, he don’t even drive
The sofa’s that are coated in a toxic spray when manufactured,Fine to have them in your house with your children and pets but not acceptable at the tip? perhaps the Chinese manufacturers should take them back!.
“Meet and greet” ? IT’S A FOOKIN TIP FFS !
This should have all be stated in the first notice about the changes, no wonder there has been an increase in fly tipping. There are a number of operators on the Island that will collect items at reasonable prices so no need for any fly tipping and the consequences that will bring. If the Council is going to do an announcement it would help in future if the content was accurate and complete.