Posted on Friday 1st September 2023
(L-R) Ben Wilshaw and Alistair Dean from Uttoxeter HWRC
People using vans and trailers to dispose of household waste at Staffordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will have to get a permit in new plans to improve the service.
The changes come into effect from Monday 4 September and aim to improve services and reduce queues for residents while promoting sustainable waste disposal within the county.
The e-permits are free of charge for Staffordshire residents, are valid for 12 months and allow up to 12 visits each year. Under the scheme, vehicles such as vans, pick-up trucks, tipper trucks, minibuses with seats removed and campervans with fixtures and fittings removed will require a permit. Those with trailers between 1.5 meters and 2.5 meters in length or over 570 litres capacity will also require a permit.
During visits, permit holders are required to inform site staff of their permit number, or vehicle registration to gain access. People without a correct permit, mismatched registration details, or who have already used up all 12 allowable visits will not be allowed to dispose of the waste.
The permits do not cover waste generated through commercial or business activities. A separate, chargeable service is available for trade waste disposal.
Simon Tagg, Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure, and Climate Change at Staffordshire County Council said:
"It’s really important that we provide high quality waste disposal services for people and these changes will help us do that.
The new permit scheme will help to streamline the process, reduce queuing times for customers and help deliver more efficient recycling facilities across our 14 sites. At the same time, it will help us promote and encourage more sustainable and cleaner waste disposal practices which benefits everyone.”
The county council has 14 HWRCs across the county and remains committed to investing in and improving the service while aligning its policies with those of surrounding local authorities.
Currently accepting around 85,000 tonnes of waste per annum across 42 types of material, the recycling centres are visited approximately 1.6 million times a year by residents and some 20,000 times by traders. More than 47,000 tonnes of waste is recycled each year and Just 1% of waste is sent to landfill. Waste that cannot be recycled is taken to the state-of-the-art facility at Four Ashes, operated by Veolia. Here it is processed, turned into electricity and used to power 66,000 homes.