Answers to frequently asked questions

Section 2: Introduction to trade waste controls

What methods will be used to stop traders using HWRCs?

A combination of existing and new measures will be used.

Existing methods that will continue to be used to stop trade waste being disposed of at HWRCs include:

Disclaimer Forms: Due to the nature of the waste and/or the vehicle being used, site staff may have reason to believe that the waste may have come from a trade source or activity. Site users may therefore be asked to complete a Disclaimer Form to confirm that the waste is from their own home, and not trade waste, before they will be allowed to deposit the material at the HWRC.
Soil, rubble and DIY waste restrictions: Soil, rubble and DIY waste is not legally defined as household waste and some councils do not accept it at their HWRCs. However, we recognise that householders can produce small quantities of this type of waste so limited quantities of 0.5m³ are acceptable – approximately the equivalent of a medium-sized car boot full of waste or the contents of six 30 litre compost-sized bags – to be deposited no more than an average of once a month over a year, per household. The restriction applies whatever vehicle is being used to transport the material.

New controls being introduced include the following, which are all tried and tested methods used elsewhere by other authorities.

Householder permit scheme: To prevent trade waste entering sites, vans and commercial type vehicles will be restricted from entering HWRCs. Householders who wish to use a commercial type vehicle to dispose of their household waste can apply for a free permit exempting them from the access restriction and allowing them to continue using the sites.
Trailer size restriction: The majority of trailers will continue to be allowed to enter HWRC sites. From May 2008, residents wishing to use trailers measuring between 1.8m and 3m in length will be able to apply for a permit to access HWRCs. Trailers over this size are most often used in commercial activity and are therefore more likely to be used to transport trade waste. By restricting access to large trailers sites will also become less congested.
Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR): To deter traders from attemping to abuse the permit scheme by accessing sites in non commercial-type vehicles such as cars, ANPR is in use at all HWRCs. Traders, by the nature of their work, tend to visit the sites much more frequently than householders and ANPR will be able to recognise these most frequent users.