Who does what and frequently asked questions

There are a number of different authorities and organisations involved in managing rubbish in Hampshire, under the umbrella of the Project Integra partnership. This page aims to answer queries about who does what in the waste process as well as providing answers to other frequently asked questions. There is also a separate section of questions relating to the new HWRC permit scheme and trade waste controls.

Who does what?

District and borough councils are responsible for collecting the rubbish from your homes. A full list of councils is available.
Hampshire County Council is responsible for providing Household Waste Recycling Centre sites, and properly disposing of all the rubbish collected there and by the district and borough councils from the kerbside.
Portsmouth and Southampton are unitary authorities who are responsible for both collection and disposal of all rubbish in their cities.

How can I dispose of bulky furniture items?

Bulky household waste such as fridges, sofas or televisions can be taken to any HWRC by the home owner (Hampshire resident) and disposed of free of charge. If you cannot do this, contact your local district council and they may be able to collect it for you, however there may be a charge.

A list of furniture reuse schemes which accept furniture items in good condition is also available.

Where is my nearest HWRC and what can I take there?

VIsit the find your nearest HWRC pages to find out about HWRCs in your area, or pick up a copy of the leaflet 'Your Household Waste Recycling Centres' from an Information Centre or library.

I work for a business. How can we start recycling?

Contact the Environment Agency for details of commercial or industrial waste services in your area, or see the Project Integra Waste Directory. Most local authorities only deal with household waste - please see our statement on commercial waste for more details.

For ad hoc disposals of trade waste, see the information on alternative disposal methods for trade waste. (link)

Where can I buy Pro-Grow soil conditioner?

Green waste from HWRCs and kerbside collections is composted into Pro-Grow, a high quality siol conditioner. Pro-Grow is available in bags from all HWRCs and some retail outlets and garden centres in Hampshire. If you would like a bulk order, please call 0845 678 99 55.

My bin hasn’t been collected. Why not?

Bin collections are provided by your local district council, so you need to speak to them if you have a query.

What should I do if I have a complaint?

If you have a complaint about an HWRC, please speak to Hampshire County Council Waste Management. If your complaint is about your bin collection, then you should speak to your local district council. Follow the link on the left of this page for contact details.

How can I dispose of soil and rubble from my home?

Construction and demolition 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.

To dispose of amounts greater than this, see the information on alternative disposal routes for household waste.

All soil and rubble delivered to an HWRC must be bagged or boxed, and tipped directly into the appropriate bin. Loose material in trailers of any size will be turned away. Examples of acceptable and unacceptable items are listed below:

Acceptable: soil, bricks, broken plaster, sand, cement, concrete, formed concrete.
Not acceptable: plasterboard, ceramics, asbestos, tiles, paper bags, plastic bags, plaster in bags,

How can I dispose of old oil or oil tanks?

Used engine oil can be taken to any HWRC and put into a special container. Oil tanks (if clean inside) should be taken to a local scrapyard. Alternatively, the company that supplied your oil may be able to collect the tank themselves. Alternatively, contact D & S Services on 0800 526483.

How can I dispose of petrol?

Please do not take petrol to an HWRC, it is a flammable hazardous waste and no sites are able to legally accept it. under their Environment Agency licences.

Try to reuse it where possible, for example in a petrol driven lawnmower, or by offering it to a motoring or military society. Some motor repair centres may take it too.

Some companies may collect petrol for a charge, see the information on alternative disposal methods for household waste.

How can I dispose of cement bonded asbestos?

If you have a small quantity of cement bonded asbestos sheets to dispose of from your home (no more than 15 sheets of an approximate size of 120 cm x 60cm), it can be taken to one of five Household Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in Hampshire that are licensed to receive this type of hazardous waste. No other type of asbestos is acceptable. If you are in any doubt as to the type of asbestos you have, seek expert advice from a reputable asbestos removal company.

Cement bonded asbestos does not present any significant health risk if handled correctly. Try to damp the material first and not to cut or break sheets as this may release dust and fibres. For health and safety reasons, all sheets should be wrapped securely in plastic sheeting and any small or broken pieces should be double bagged and sealed when brought to site.

The five licensed HWRCs are listed below. Please note that you should always phone in advance to check that the container is not full or away being emptied, or you may not be able to dispose of the material.

HWRCs able to accept cement bonded asbestos: Andover, Basingstoke, Efford, Netley, Portsmouth. (Location details and phone numbers are available).

For greater amounts, or other types of asbestos, you should contact a reputable asbestos removal company who will collect it or provide a suitable container. If you have work carried out on your property by a company, it is their responsibility to dispose of asbestos safely as this is classified as special waste from a commercial source.

How can I dispose of hazardous household waste?

Hazardous household waste items are usually marked with an orange label as they pose a possible risk to human health or the environment if used irresponsibly. From 1 July 2007, European landfill regulations state that electrical equipment such as televisions, irons, toasters and hairdryers, are to be reclassified as hazardous waste. Eleven HWRCs in Hampshire are specially licensed by the Environment Agency to receive hazardous household waste such as garden chemicals and white spirit, while all HWRCs will accept electrical goods, and have separate areas on site where they are collected befrore being delivered to accredited reporocessors. On arrival at a site, you should contact a member of site staff who will direct you to the appropriate container or area.

Examples of hazardous household waste accepted at the 11 licensed HWRCs: Household products such as white spirit, paint brush cleaners, descalers, stain removers, household batteries, fluorscent light tubes, photographic chemicals, drain cleaners and oven cleaners. Garden products such as pesticides, insecticides, lawn treatments, fungicides, weed killers and wood preservatives. Car maintenance products such as antifreeze, brake fluid and lubricants. The 11 licensed HWRCs are Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Bordon, Farnborough, Marchwood, Netley, Portsmouth, Segensworth, Southampton and Winchester.

Examples of hazardous household waste accepted at all HWRCs: Household electrical items such as fridges, freezers, energy efficient light bulbs and televisions.

Examples of hazardous household waste not accepted at any HWRC: Liquid fuels such as petrol, diesel and paraffin; hazardous waste from a commercial source; ammunition, explosives or marine flares; medicines.

How can I dispose of household electrical goods?

From 1 July 2007, new rules apply to the disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) to ensure that it is treated appropriately to protect the environment. The WEEE directive states that electrical equipment such as televisions, irons, toasters and hairdryers are to be reclassified as hazardous waste, and therefore must be disposed of separately to household waste.

Hampshire County Council is well prepared for the new directive, and householders can continue taking their waste electrical items to their local Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) as before. In anticipation of the new directive, all sites already have a collection area for waste electrical items, which are then collected separately and delivered to accredited reprocessors where the various elements will be recycled or disposed of correctly.

What is WEEE?

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) includes:

Refrigeration equipment such as fridges and freezers
Any items with a cathode ray tube, such as televisions and computer monitors
Other large items such as cookers, washing machines and dishwashers
Small items such as hairdryers and DVD players
Fluorescent light tubes and bulbs, including energy efficient light bulbs.

All of these items can be disposed of at your local HWRC.

How can I dispose of gas bottles?

The only gas bottles accepted at HWRCs are the standard liquid petroleum types commonly used in a domestic property. The largest size acceptable is 15 kilograms. Balloon gas bottles are also acceptable and should be handled by site staff to make them safe.

All other gas bottle types are not classified as household waste, and are therefore not acceptable at HWRCs. This includes types such as Oxy/Acetylene, air cylinders, refrigerants, and brewery cylinders. If you have one of these types to dispose of, you should either call the company who produced it directly for advice (see the neck of the bottle for details in most cases), or speak to a member of HWRC site staff.

How can I avoid long queues at the HWRC?

Every HWRC gets busy at weekends. To avoid long queues, you could try visiting during the week, or making use of the longer opening hours during the summer months.

Why did I have to fill in a disclaimer form when I visited the HWRC?

This is to verify that the waste is from your own home. HWRCs are for household waste delivered by the house owner only, they are not licensed to accept trade waste. 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 (e.g. you may have been driving a branded vehicle).

Where does the money from the HWRC sales areas go?

Site staff are encouraged to recycle or reuse as much waste as possible to prevent it going to landfill. As part of their site management contract, they receive any money from selling items on the site as an incentive for reusing and recycling more.

What should I do if I have a query about litter and/or fly-tipping?

Contact your local district council and they will be able to advise you (external link to DirectGov).

How should I dispose of clinical waste?