Somerset cracks down on ‘out-of-county’ HWRC users

Under changes which came into effect yesterday Somerset HWRCs will be enforcing a stricter permitting requirement, which will see drivers of vans or trailers issued with permits to prevent access to the sites at certain times.

Residents wishing to use the sites – which are operated by Viridor – can apply for a permit only if they have a Somerset residential address, and if they are depositing household waste. Commercial waste users will be directed to one of ten sites where commercial material is accepted at a charge.

Most customers’ vehicles – cars, including saloons, estates, 4x4s, people carriers, campervans – not towing a trailer, will not need a permit if using the sites to deposit household waste.

Service

According to the council, the measure will cut congestion, tackle illegal commercial users and improve services at the sites.

In a statement, the Somerset Waste Partnership, which manages waste in the county, said: “With Somerset’s rising population, increasing numbers of vehicles and growing levels of waste, figures for visits to its 16 recycling sites have jumped by 400,000 in the past few years to over 1.5 million annually.

“To help ensure swift, smooth and safer visits to Somerset’s sites, almost all of the very largest trucks and trailers will no longer have access from 3 October so most users are not held up or put at risk by heavily laden or hard-to-manoeuvre vehicles.

“Those coming in from nearby counties with vans, pick-ups or trailers, who add to Somerset council taxpayers’ costs, will be told to use their own recycling sites.”

The issue of cross-boundary HWRC-usage has been in focus in recent weeks in Hampshire and West Berkshire where local authorities have reviewed the use of sites close to the West Berkshire border under particular scrutiny.

West Berkshire’s portfolio holder for communities councillor Marcus Franks had written to Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom to voice concerns over the issue – which he claimed is likely to be happening around the country (see letsrecycle.com). However, despite the appeal, Ms Leadsom has yet to publicly act on the issue.