Community skips are coming back to Barnet to help residents dispose of their waste and combat fly-tipping.

Barnet Council will launch a trial of the free service this autumn, which is set to run from pre-advertised locations around the borough.

It will allow people to dispose of up to three bulky waste items per household, including bags of rubbish, furniture and large electrical appliances such as cookers and fridges.

A community skip service that was previously run by the council was scrapped ten years ago. Bringing it back was one of the Labour group’s manifesto commitments, and plans for its reintroduction were presented to the environment and climate change committee on Tuesday.

Speaking during the meeting, committee chair Alan Schneiderman said he was “really pleased” that officers had put the plans together so quickly, as it was one of Labour’s “key commitments”. He added: “We hope [the service] is going to be well used and contribute to our efforts to combat fly-tipping”.

Craig Miller, the council’s street scene director, told the committee that a caged tipper vehicle would be used to take out any items from the skips that could be recycled, adding that the council wanted to look into opportunities to repurpose items.

Conservative committee member Rohit Grover said this did not seem “very carbon neutral” and asked how it furthered the administration’s commitment to reaching net zero emissions. Cllr Schneiderman responded that the service aimed to reduce the number of journeys made to clear fly-tips.

Under the plans, residents will be able to access this service near to where they live four times a year – once every quarter – on weekdays between 7am and 1pm.

David Longstaff, another Conservative committee member, pointed out that many people are busy at those times. In response, Craig said other services will remain available, such as Summers Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre, the council’s free bulky waste collection service, and paid-for collections operated by private firms.

“We see this as one part of an overall solution for our residents,” he added.

Craig told the committee that the service could be expanded to include other items if there is demand for it.

According to a council report, the service is expected to cost the council £600,000 to run over four years.

Following the debate, councillors unanimously approved the community skip pilot scheme, which will run for six months before a decision is made on whether to roll out the service on a long-term basis.