Northern House Clearance

Uncertainty. That’s the word I hear most when I talk to people from the different sectors of the house clearance industry. Uncertainty over markets. Uncertainty over licensing. Uncertainty over legislation. Uncertainty over their jobs or their businesses. Future uncertainty. Difficulties you face now, feel even worse when you cannot rely on the situation improving in the future. Belt-tightening is all very well – but there are only so many notches! For example, house clearance companies are facing the forthcoming Directive on waste recycling (although it has been delayed yet again). This legislation could be yet another blow for the House Clearance Cumbernauld industry, or it could spell a revival.

Spring or the York house clearance & recycling industry, Spring also brings with it the annual increase in waste management licence fees for house clearance companies in York & the rest of the UK, and the accompanying ‘reason’ from the Environment Agency. Last year, they blamed the hike on solving the problem in their computer systems. This year, most of the increase in waste management charges is accounted for by the removal of Government subsidies, which end this year. If this is the case, then next year charges should rise only a few percent, in line with inflation, unless of course the Agency can think of yet another reason to keep hiking up the bills, and targeting the house clearance and waste management industries.

Criticising the Scottish Environment Protection Agency plans to increase waste management licence fees by up to 25%, drew a strong reaction from some quarters. When discussing the Environment Agencies with people from all fields of the recycling house clearance industry especially here at house clearance Northumberland, the complaint heared most frequently is the lack of accountability.

It is almost 17 years since the Agencies were first set up, and in that time I must have discussed them with a vast range of people from both the recycling and the house clearance industries, and the overwhelming consensus is that the Agencies get away with far too much. The Environment Agency does have a ‘customer charter to ensure fair regulation and consistent enforcement.

The first, which is good news for responsible house clearance companies in Perth & the rest of the UK, is the Environment Agency, which has launched a nationwide crack-down on an estimated 850 illegally operating house clearance services, with the ultimate aim of bringing them all within the licensing system. The exercise, headed by a well-respected regulator, will be carried out over the next twelve months. The regulator explains: “The environment does need protection from the adverse effects of the fly tipping house clearance companies, but the regulatory regime has to reflect both that priority and the enormous environmental benefits the industry brings.”

House Clearance Paisley recyclables have hit record lows. Many house clearance owners in Paisley & the rest of the UK for that matter report that the current situation is the worst in the last forty years, and if you take today’s overheads into account, the worst ever.

Most house clearance operators would probably agree that a small percentage of waste that would normally be recycled is being sent to landfill instead of being separated at source for recovery, as the value of the material is not sufficient to encourage separation, storage, collection, transportation and processing overheads.

The Environment Agency has just released its annual report for 2014, in which it claims that it achieved its target on inspecting waste management sites & house clearance operator headquaters. Its aim was to increase the frequency of inspection of waste management licences by 25% & house clearance companies by 20%, ensuring that all sites were inspected at least once during the one year period. Well, by recruiting more waste inspectors, they managed to raise the inspection frequency from less than 60% in 2013 to 75% at present.