Free collection of bulky waste items such as furniture and fridges from people’s homes could be scrapped in a council cost-cutting measure.

A £20 per item charge is being considered by Charnwood Borough Council.

Currently, residents can request three free bulky waste collections each year and only face a charge after exceeding that amount.

However it says cash constraints mean keeping that offer is financially difficult.

The council currently spends £105,000 a year to offer the free collections – of which there are some 20,000 a year.

The charge could generated some £60,000 a year.

Only Charnwood and Leicester council still have a free bulky waste collection service.

The council’s lead member for contracts, councillor Leigh Harper-Davies said: “We have to be realistic about funding services for residents.

“Bulky waste collections are not something the authority has to provide but we know residents value the service.

“That’s why, as local government funding becomes more difficult, we must look at alternative ways of paying for services like this.

“Nearly every other authority in the country charges for bulky waste collections and to ensure we can keep delivering a high-quality service we feel the time is right to introduce a reasonable charge.

“The proposed charge would help cover the costs of the service and would still be cheaper than some other authorities in the area.

“For people who want to dispose of large items there are a number of alternatives. Firstly, we would encourage people recycle if they can and several charities collect some bulky items such as furniture for free. Most goods can also be taken to the local tips.

“This approach was included in this year’s council’s budget which was approved by council earlier this year.” 

The council’s cabinet will consider the proposal at a meeting next month and the charge could be introduced in October.