Gate fees paid by local authorities at materials recycling facilities (MRF) have fallen in 2015, according to WRAP.
Its latest Gate Fees Report for 2014/15 shows that the median gate fee at a MRF was £6 this year compared to £10 last year.
However, the spread of gate fees is wide for local authorities ranging from some receiving £43 per tonne in income, to some paying up to £86 per tonne.
A total of 33 local authorities reported that they pay either no gate fee, or receive payment from the MRF for their material.
Of those questions, 65% expect MRF gate fees to increase due to changing prices for recovered materials and the quality of input material.
WRAP director Marcus Gover said: “Finding a clear picture of treatment costs in the UK is a difficult task. Our gate fees report highlights how variable charges are for waste management options, and how difficult this market can be to navigate without help.
“In a time when budgets are stretched, and with the backdrop of a more volatile market for secondary materials, our gate fees report remains a key resource authorities can use to help inform local decisions.”
The largest increase in median gate fees is seen in energy from waste facilities constructed before 2000. Here fees have risen to £73 per tonne, up from £58 per tonne.
WRAP believes this different is due to it receiving more responses for pre-2000 facilities in this year’s survey than in the last.
Other gate fees for other treatments are largely similar.
