Residents who use Medway Council’s bulky waste service will have to pay a new charge if they use the service more than once in six months.

Households can have three items like sofas, white goods and furniture removed free of charge once every six months. However, they will be charged £15 per booking if they need items removed more than once during that time frame.

The charge, which is already in place, is being introduced to minimise waste and reduce the amount of items sent to landfill sites by encouraging the use of community recycling websites such as Freecycle.

In 2005/6 more than 37,000 collections of one or more items were made in Medway.

More than 300 households used the service more than five times in a year, often disposing of three items per time.

Medway Council and Swale Borough Council are the only authorities in Kent to offer a free service. The average bulky waste collection charge across the county is £16.

Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Front Line Services Cllr Phil Filmer, said: “By offering a free collection for the first three items and then only £15 per booking we are still offering one of the best services in Kent.

“We want to encourage residents to think about the impact their waste has on the environment and what alternatives there are other than sending goods to the landfill.

“This charge isn’t intended to penalise customers, but to encourage frequent users to consider alternative methods of disposing of their items.”

The use of household waste recycling centres and bulk skips are also being encouraged for people who are disposing of metal objects, such as washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers.

Residents wishing to use the council’s bulky waste service should call Customer First on 01634 333333 or email customer.first@medway.gov.uk