The cost of properly disposing of bulky items such as furniture and fridges could be contributing to fly-tipping in Wrexham, according to a commercial waste management firm.
Business Waste said the authority charged the second highest fees in Wales with a minimum amount of £57.50 for a single item.
The fee is £10 cheaper than in Ceredigion, but more than £50 higher than the lowest amount in Wales, which is currently in Blaenau Gwent.
Mark Hall, from Business Waste, said the different pricing had created a “postcode lottery” for bulky waste collection across the UK.
But Wrexham councillor David Bithell said the authority’s charge was “in line with the council’s cost recovery policy”.
Fly-tipping hit record levels in Wales in the past year, with 1.26m incidents recorded in 2024-25. Wrexham ranked seventh in Wales, with 2,335 incidents of fly-tipping that year.
According to the council, incidents of fly-tipping have fallen to 1,689 this year and they are expected to decrease further following the authority’s investment in additional enforcement cameras to monitor key fly-tipping sites.
Wrexham’s minimum fee for removing bulky waste is currently higher than the most expensive average UK charge.
On average people pay £46 in south east England meanwhile the average across Wales for bulky waste is £34.
Blithell added: “Most authorities charge for up to three items, we charge for up to eight items, including fridges.”
In areas such as Cardiff, fly-tipped black bags have become a growing problem, leaving residents “horrified” about the impact on communities.