Potential limits on disposal of inert waste by van and trailer users at HWRCs
New limits on how much 'inert' waste can be disposed of by van and trailer users at Household Waste Recycling Centres are set to be discussed by Lancashire County Council's Cabinet.
Members of Lancashire County Council’s Cabinet will discuss the potential changes at the next meeting on February 8, which could see a new proposed limit of three 25kg bags, per visit, of ‘inert’ waste for anyone using a van or trailer.
'Inert' waste includes soil, rubble and general DIY waste including plaster and plasterboard.
The 'inert' waste policy that existed before the pandemic limited all residents to 250kg of inert waste per year. This was paused during the pandemic and hasn't since been reinstated. Under the new proposals, restrictions would only apply for van and trailer users.
All car drivers would still be able to use the household waste recycling centre as often as they want without weight limits.
Only householders are allowed to use the county’s Household Waste Recycling Centres and commercial waste is not accepted.
County Councillor Shaun Turner, cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change said: “It’s important for all of our councillors to look at formalising a permanent policy, as the previous one was temporary and came into effect during the pandemic.
“When you go on holiday, a large suitcase weighs around 25kg, so three of those is the weight that van or trailers drivers could take, in ‘inert’ waste such as soil or rubble, on each visit.
“For members of the public, there would not be much difference to the rules. The access policy aims to reduce congestion, improve safety for facility users and reduce the potential for the illegal deposit of commercial waste.”
The amount of 'inert' waste being received since the previous limit was suspended during the pandemic has almost doubled, with the additional costs now reaching almost £400,000 per year.
Residents using the 'inert' waste facility are also being urged to separate their waste types before visiting in order to ensure that all recyclable materials can be processed correctly.
Details of the 'inert' waste policy would be updated online, should the proposed limits be accepted, and a handy 'A-Z' guide to recycling can also be found at lancashire.gov.uk/recycle
Notes to editors
Notes to editors:
Lancashire County Council's recycling centres have minimal impact on fly tipping.
Most flytipping is carried out by unscrupulous businesses who do not want to pay for their waste to be disposed of properly. The county council only accept household waste – it is illegal to deposit business waste at their facilities – and therefore policies only impact householders. Flytipping carries penalties of an unlimited fine and up to 5 years in prison, and the average householder will not risk such penalties by flytipping when they can dispose of their rubbish free of charge, even if that means the inconvenience of having to make an appointment for disposing of something that can only be delivered in a van or trailer.