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Waste Disposal Policy

Please contact the Waste Services Team on 01733 747474 in advance if you are unsure about the quantity/ type of waste you wish to dispose of. Waste is accepted at the site manager's discretion.

There are several policies that control the types of waste accepted at the Household Recycling Centre.

  • Vehicle size restrictions
  • The disposal of vehicle parts
  • Waste from local Government and other sources that is classed as chargeable household waste or commercial waste
  • Construction, demolition and DIY waste
  • Trade waste

Vehicle size restrictions

The City Council has a duty to ensure that the Household Recycling Centre is operated safely and with minimum risk to the public, site operators and council staff. Vehicle size restrictions at the Household Recycling Centre are for health and safety reasons. Site managers reserve the right to refuse entry to vans and cars with trailers or other large vehicles, which present a risk to safety on the site at that time, in particular when the site is busy.

In order to avoid inconvenience, members of the public wishing to use a van or car with a trailer should contact the Centre in advance to ascertain when they would be permitted onto the site.

Restrictions on vans for health and safety reasons

a)  No vehicle larger than a standard size transit type van will be allowed into the Household Recycling Centre at any time.

b)  Permitted vans may be refused entry to the Centre during busy periods.

Restrictions on trailers for health and safety reasons

a)  No trailers over 8' 6" (2.5 meters) in length will be allowed into the Household Recycling Centre at any time, whether pulled by     car or van.

b)  Vans or cars pulling permitted trailers may be refused entry to the Centre during busy periods.

The disposal of vehicle parts

The Household Recycling Centre is not licensed for the disposal of whole motor vehicles, including caravans, trailers, motor cycles, scooters and invalid carriages. The End of Life Vehicles Regulations (2003) stipulates that end of life vehicles can only be stored, dismantled and treated in accordance with strict environmental treatment standards at licensed sites.

a) Vehicle parts NOT accepted.

  • Vehicle tyres
  • Vehicle parts that contain fluids

b)  The only fluid from a motor vehicle that the site is licensed to accept is engine oil, which has been drained from the part and taken in a separate container

c)  Quantity of permissible parts that will be accepted

  • Only single items or set equivalents (e.g. wing mirrors) from one vehicle will be accepted
  • Residents making repeat or regular visits with any part(s) may be refused entry at the site manager's discretion, and such residents may receive follow up visits by a Council officer

Resident who have any vehicle parts that contain fluids (including engine oil), whole vehicles or tyres for disposal must take them to an End of Life Vehicle licensed facility or other site licensed to accept such waste (e.g. vehicle breakers).

Residents can also contact the City Council, City Services Directorate, for information on vehicle dismantlers, and disposal of redundant or abandoned vehicles.

Waste from local government and other sources that is classed as chargeable household waste or commercial waste

The Household Recycling Centre is provided and licensed only for local residents to deliver their household waste.

It is an offence under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for anyone to deposit on this site waste which is not authorised by the waste management license, i.e. waste not being household waste.

Persons delivering waste which is not their own household waste will, where the site operators are unsure whether or not the waste is household, be required to sign a disclaimer form confirming the waste is from their own household or on behalf of a household well known to them, and is not being paid to provide any sort of service to a householder.

Repeat or regular visits with these types of waste may be refused by the site manager, and may involve follow up visits by a Council compliance officer.

Exception to this may be waste from the following sources, however authorisation will be required before delivering waste to this facility and persons are requested to contact the Waste Management team in the first instance.

  • Parish Councils
  • The Probation and Prison Services
  • Educational Establishments
  • Charity shops and premises
  • Any club, society or other association of persons

Residents or organisations (other than above) affected by this policy may:

a)  Use the City Council's trade waste collection service

b)  Arrange for collections by commercial waste management or skip hire companies or waste bag services (see yellow pages)

Construction, demolition and DIY waste

The Household Recycling Centre is provided and licensed only for local residents to deposit their own household waste.

Under the Controlled Waste Regulation 1992;

  • Construction includes improvement, repair or alteration.
  • Construction and demolition waste, including waste arising from preparation works, is classified as industrial waste and not household waste.

(i)  Construction and Demolition Wastes

The following construction and demolition waste is NOT accepted at the Recycling Centre:-

Waste from large-scale construction, demolition, renovation and DIY projects e.g. building extensions or demolition of buildings.

(ii) DIY Waste

Waste from small scale DIY work (e.g. changing a bathroom suite or kitchen cabinets or removing a patio wall), including soil, hardcore, bricks, general rubble and certain redundant fixtures and fittings may be accepted at the Household Recycling Centre under the following conditions;

  •        Where the site operators are unsure whether or not the waste is household, the person bringing in the waste will be required to sign a disclaimer form confirming the waste is from their own household
  •        Plaster and plasterboard is not accepted at the Household Recycling Centre
  •        The waste is delivered by the resident and is the result of their own work
  •        Repeat or regular visits with these types of waste may be refused at the site manager's discretion, and may involve follow up visits by a council officer.

Residents affected by the above have the following alternative options for disposal: City Council's bulky waste services; commercial waste/recycling facilities able to take such waste; skip hire companies and waste bag services.

Trade waste

The Household Waste Centre is provided and licensed only for local householders delivering their own household waste.

It is an offence under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for anyone to deposit on this site waste which is not authorised by the waste management license, including commercial and industrial waste.

The Controlled Waste Regulations (1992) stipulates what waste is classed as commercial and industrial. The following wastes will not be accepted at any Recycling Centre;

  • Waste from shops, offices, showrooms or other trade or business premises;
  • Waste produced for which earned income or other remuneration is obtained by person(s) running a business or trade of any kind;
  • Waste from an employee of a householder or from anyone who is being paid to provide any sort of service to a householder;
  • Waste from people employed by a business based elsewhere but working at home.

a)  Disclaimer Forms

The site operator will make regular checks of waste brought to the Household Recycling Centre to ensure that the law and site license is being complied with, including asking people about type, nature and source of their waste and inspecting waste in vehicles and trailers before it is off loaded. Site operators and council staff will er on the side of declining to accept uncertain or mixed material. Where the site operator or council staff are subsequently prepared to give someone the benefit of the doubt, on 'grey areas', people depositing waste will be required to sign a disclaimer form, giving their name and contact details and confirming the waste is from their own household.

b)  Alternative collection or disposal sites

People and companies affected by the above have the following options: City Council Trade Waste Services; commercial waste/recycling facilities able to take such waste; commercial waste collection and skip hire companies and waste bag and bin services.

Regarding all these areas above, the site management's decision is final.

This Policy was approved by PCC on 12/03/2009

Anyone requiring further information regarding these or any other City Council waste policy should contact the Waste Services Team on 01733 747474.

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