MEMBERS of Norton Town Council have raised concerns over the introduction of additional charges for people using the household waste recycling centres.

The county council has imposed charges for hardcore, plasterboard and rubble at its 20 household waste and recycling centres.

Charges come on top of the recent introduction of a £27 fee by Ryedale District Council for emptying brown bins containing garden waste.

The cost will depend on how much rubble is being deposited – previously households could take only two car loads a month.

Materials charged for include breeze blocks, bricks, ceramics, including sinks and toilets, concrete, flag stones, gravel, sand, slates, soil, stones, Tarmac, tiles, window glass and plasterboard.

The move follows a countywide consultation exercise and is part of the council’s overall austerity measures.

However, Norton councillors have raised concerned that they were not consulted and the charges have just been imposed.

Councillor Hugh Spencer questioned what next would be charged for.

“This is going to lead to an explosion of fly-tipping,” he said.

“There are already four extra loads of vegetation per week at the recycling centre since the district council introduced the charges for the brown bins.”

Councillor David Lloyd-Williams described it as a “retrograde” step.

“I feel we should write to the county council and express our concerns,” he said.

“If no one complains they will carry on doing these things and think that no one minds.

“We should all be complaining in the strongest terms otherwise we are going to see rubble and other materials dumped at the side of our roads.”

The county council has said household waste and recyclable items will not be affected by the changes and will not be charged for.

However, the county council is also opening up all its household waste sites to take commercial waste from businesses and traders – a service which has only been available at Harrogate and Northallerton – and this will be at an “appropriate” charge.

As well as opening all sites to commercial waste customers, the council is also extending the times when commercial customers can deliver their waste - from Monday to Saturday during normal site opening hours except Wednesdays when they are closed.

Chris Metcalfe, the council’s executive member for waste management, said: “We have no real choice but to charge in order to meet the council’s savings plan.

“I am, however, pleased that the prices our contractors have set are relatively modest and affordable and offer value for money compared to the alternatives such as hiring a skip.”

• What do you think about the new charges? Email your views to gazette@gazetteherald.co.uk