Two Surrey-based councils have announced a pilot scheme at their household recycling centres which will see those in large vehicles needing to register online, in an attempt to kerb “illegal use”.
Large vehicles will need to register before 4pm the day before the visit in order to use the site
Starting on the 3 December, the pilot scheme will mean any users in a large vehicle will need to register online by 4pm the day before their visit to two centres in Kingston and Sutton.
This includes those in a van, pick-up truck, minibus (with 10 seats or more), a vehicle with panels instead of rear windows or vehicles with rear seats permanently removed.
Residents visiting the sites in vehicles covered by the new scheme will also be limited to 12 visits in any 12-month rolling period.
The council say it hopes this will clamp down on illegal use at the centres, and prevent taxpayers picking up the” very substantial bill” for depositing this waste.
‘Wrong’
Commenting on the pilot scheme, Cllr Hilary Gander, Kingston Council representative on the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee, said that the scheme is needed as traders are depositing of commercial waste at the sites.
“Data collected at our HRRC sites suggests that they are too frequently being used by traders to dispose of commercial waste,” she explained.
Cllr Gander added: “Why should local residents pick up the very substantial bill for disposing of this commercial waste when traders should be paying for it themselves? It’s wrong and it has to stop. I am confident this new van and large vehicle scheme will go a long way to solving the problem.”
The Sutton Council representative, councillor Manuel Abellan, added that he hopes the scheme will be able to “strike a balance” between stopping illegal use and not hindering the use of sites by honest residents.
Advice
The pilot scheme will cover the Villiers Road and Kimpton Park Way centres, and anybody in a large vehicle covered by the scheme will need to confirm they are a) residents of the boroughs and b) are only bringing household waste to the sites before entering.
If they do not meet either of these conditions, then they will be presented with the following message:
“The recycling centre is only permitted to accept household waste from residents within the Borough.
Unfortunately, based on the responses you have provided, you are not eligible to use the recycling centre. If you are seeking to dispose of commercial waste, we have provided a list of potential alternative disposal points below.
Please contact your local authority if you need further assistance.”
Commercial sites
Smugglers Way, Wandsworth, London – one of the sites recommended by the South London Waste Partnership for commercial operators
Site users deemed to be commercial are given a list of 10 recommended commercial sites to use by the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP). The sites:
- 777 Recycling Facility, Croydon
- Sita Recycling facility, Mitcham
- Churchfields Depot CA site, Beckenham
- Waldo Road Recycling Centre, Bromley
- Charlton Lane Waste Transfer Station, Shepperton
- Epsom Waste Transfer Station, Epsom
- Leatherhead Waste Transfer Station, Surrey
- Smugglers Way Waste and Recycling Centre, Wandsworth
Contractor
The centres are managed by Veolia, on behalf of the SLWP boroughs of Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton.
Christine Stacey, Veolia’s contract manager for the South London Waste Partnership centres, commented: “Our teams on site will be supporting and advising residents while this scheme is introduced as well as implementing the new rules to protect the facilities from illegal trade use. I would ask residents to work with us while this is happening so we can achieve our goals of ensuring fair usage of the sites, reducing waiting times for legitimate site users and keeping costs down.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com General
