Household Recycling Centres: Waste Access and Acceptance Policy (WAAP)

A1.1 Buckinghamshire household recycling centres (HRCs) are open 7 days a week, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. Aylesbury (Rabans Lane), Bledlow, Burnham and Chesham HRCs offer a 5-day service and are closed on Wednesday and Thursday each week.

A1.2 Access to HRCs for all users and visitors is only permitted during opening days and hours.

A1.3 Site opening hours in the summer (1st April - 30th September) are between 9:00am and 6:00pm and in the winter (1st October - 31st March) are between 9:00am and 4:00pm. (Aylesbury) Rabans Lane, Bledlow, Burnham and Chesham HRCs offer a 5-day service and are closed on Wednesday and Thursday each week.

A1.4 Site opening days and times are published on the council’s website, site notices, and site boards and available through the on-site literature.

A1.5 The council’s HRCs have webcams installed at all sites; this allows customers to plan their visit to our sites using real-time information and see how busy the sites are.

A1.6 Users will be asked to leave the site by closing time and will be advised 10 minutes before closing as they enter the site.

A1.7 HRCs may close in exceptional circumstances, such as severe weather, essential maintenance, and unplanned/emergency events.

A2.1 HRCs within Buckinghamshire are primarily provided for Buckinghamshire residents to dispose of household waste. The council will permit disposal of prescribed other types of waste, subject to payment of a charge. Details of the charges levied are set out later in this policy.

A2.2 Landlords should note that waste produced from properties that are rented out and disposed of, by or on behalf of the landlord, is classed as commercial waste and, as such, must be disposed of through a legitimate commercial waste collection / disposal provider and charges are applicable.

A3.1 Town and parish councils will have access to designated HRCs to deposit specific waste types. These arrangements will be agreed in advance with the council. All other site access and material restrictions will apply.

A4.1 All charities wishing to use the council’s HRCs for the first time must be registered as licensed waste carriers prior to accessing any HRC. Registration requirements can be viewed online or by calling the Environment Agency (England) helpline on 03708 506 506.

A4.2 Charities must show their waste carriers licence or exemption (as applicable) when disposing of waste at a council HRC.

A4.3 Charities will be required to apply for an e-permit via the council web portal.

A4.4 Charities will have to enter into an agreement with the council prior to using the HRCs. In order to use the HRC, the charity must be located in Buckinghamshire, use will be limited to non-hazardous household waste items and charges will be applied for construction and demolition and other waste types such as tyres. Charities cannot dispose of hazardous waste such as electrical items, oils, chemicals, or asbestos.

A5.1 It is recognised that in most cases residents will use HRCs that are closest to their household; hence there will be some cross-border use of HRCs.

A5.2 The council may set up Service Level Agreements with neighbouring authorities for cross-border access to ensure the costs of provision of the HRC are shared fairly. Whether there is an agreement or not, non-Buckinghamshire Council area residents will be subject to the same restrictions and charges as Buckinghamshire Council area residents.

A5.3 Where a Service Level Agreement does not exist with neighbouring authorities, those out-of-county (non-Buckinghamshire users) may be refused access or further charges will be levied at any point in time. Site staff decision is final. See Table 3 for further details.

A5.4 Oxfordshire residents can use Bledlow HRC if required, for an access and acceptance charge. Oxfordshire residents will be unable to use any other Buckinghamshire HRCs and will be refused access.

A5.5 At the point of entry at Bledlow HRC, site staff will ask users to provide a form of approved proof of residency. i.e. Driving Licence, utility bill or Council Tax bill. Oxfordshire residents will be charged an access and acceptance charge. Site staff decision will be final. Charges for Oxfordshire resident to use Bledlow HRC can be found in Table C4.

A5.6 Oxfordshire residents are required to apply for an e-permit if using a trailer.

A5.7 A concession for Oxfordshire residents who require a larger vehicle to accommodate their disability, whilst using Bledlow HRC, has been considered in relation to section 29(2) of the Equalities Act which prohibits discrimination in relation to the provision of services.

In advance of an Oxfordshire resident user visiting, the user should fill in an online form with their name, vehicle model, make and colour to “declare” their need of the larger vehicle to accommodate their disability. The user will print or save an electronic copy and present the declaration to Bledlow HRC staff upon visiting the site.

The user will be charged based on the approximate volume of waste instead of vehicle size. Site staff will use standard sized bins of differing capacity to estimate the total volume of waste the user has brought. Site staff decision will be final.

1. A user has a large vehicle to accommodate their wheelchair, they only need to dispose of 5 black bags which only quarter fill the large car. This user is likely to receive a concession and charged the site visit access and acceptance rate of a small car.
2. A user has a small van to accommodate their disability, the van is full of garden waste. No space is taken up with equipment to help accommodate their disability. This user is unlikely to receive a concession and charged the site visit access and acceptance rate of a small van.

All waste delivered by non-Buckinghamshire residents including but not limited to:

• small recyclables
• cardboard
• paper
• cans
• glass
• plastic bottles;
• drinks cartons / Tetra-pak
• textiles and shoes
• books
• green (garden) waste
• metal
• large and small electrical domestic appliances
• hazardous household wastes
• chemicals
• paint
• fridges and freezers
• televisions and monitors (CRT)
• fluorescent tubes
• batteries (domestic and vehicle)
• dense plastics
• carpet
• mattresses
• furniture
• black-bag waste containing general waste
• fence and shed panels
• ceramic tiles (all types)
• bathroom suites
• doors and windows
• fitted kitchen units
• roofing materials including felt, guttering and tiles
• inert material such as rubble, concrete, bricks and roof tiles
• plaster and plasterboard
• laminate flooring
• wooden floorboards and skirting boards
• asbestos resulting from construction of demolition works
• soil from construction works, including landscaping activities
• any other building materials

Other:

• tyres

A6.1 The council does not have a duty to accept waste from commercial sources and / or traders, hence all waste deposits from trade activities will be chargeable. A pricing schedule for specific trade waste streams is set out in Appendix C (Table C3).

A6.2 Traders, for the purpose of this policy, are people or organisations who engage in any kind of commercial business.

A6.3 All traders must be registered as licensed waste carriers prior to accessing the council HRCs. Registration requirements can be viewed online or by calling the Environment Agency (England) helpline on 03708 506506. Details of charges can be found on our website.

A6.4 For the purpose of Section 34 of EPA 1990 Duty of Care; traders are required to fully describe and accurately declare the nature of all waste being deposited and show their waste carriers licence at the HRCs prior to accessing the council HRCs.

A6.5 Traders are required to comply with their own Duty of Care and pay for all waste deposited according to the published charging scheme. Traders must self-separate and deposit waste into the relevant containers for re-use, recycling, treatment, or disposal. The Council HRCs reserve the right to refuse entry and / or recover additional costs should this duty not be fulfilled.

A6.6 Traders are only permitted access to use the chargeable Trade Waste Service which is provided at the following HRCs: Aston Clinton; Aylesbury (Rabans Lane); Beaconsfield; High Wycombe; and Amersham. Only these sites have the necessary legal compliances in place. Vehicle size limit is up to 7.5 tonne due to site capacity considerations. HRC staff complete and provide Duty of Care documents to traders using the chargeable Trade Waste Service.

A6.7 In order to manage traffic at our HRCs traders will normally be permitted to visit HRCs Monday to Friday only. This will be subject to regular review and change as required. The council reserves the right to refuse entry to traders at peak times and other instances in the interest of householders.

A6.8 Certain wastes are not accepted from traders, and these include air conditioning units, lead acid (vehicle) batteries, chemicals, commercial fridges / freezers, commercial fridge-freezers, computer monitors, fluorescent tube lights, gas bottles, oil, TVs, and tyres.

A6.9 Cash and cheque payments are not accepted at any HRC. Charges are reviewed annually or as needed including in line with legislation. Trade Waste Service charges are available on Trade Waste Service sites and published on our website.

A7.1 The council requires Buckinghamshire and Slough residents to obtain an e-permit (which is free of charge) in advance when certain vehicles are to be used to dispose of waste. This ensures that the council can monitor the amount of household waste deposited by residents and identify any potential abuse by individuals who are running commercial businesses. All HRCs are fitted with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) devices which will be used to monitor vehicle movements to help assess whether there is any exploitation and unusual frequency of visits by the same vehicle to the HRC network.

A7.2 Access to HRCs is limited to cars, small trailers non-Buckinghamshire resident (Oxfordshire resident) users are also required to apply for an e-permit if using a trailer (see Figures 3 and 4) and vans.

A7.3 Any householder may deposit their own household waste at a HRC in a car, including 4x4s, SUV and MPVs with or without a single axle trailer (maximum trailer size 1.2m long x 0.9m wide, up to 60cm high with a cover and excluding tow bar). No e-permit is required.

A7.4 Any householder may bring their own household waste to a HRC in a commercial vehicle, provided the vehicle has no more than four wheels. An e-permit is required when a householder uses a commercial vehicle to deposit household waste.

A7.5 A commercial vehicle is defined as a van, pick up, minibus (with 8 to 11 seats), flat back or similar, which have no more than 4 wheels.

A7.6 Any householder may bring their own household waste to a HRC using any vehicle with a single or twin axle trailer that is bigger than 1.2m long x 0.9m wide (maximum trailer size 2.4m long x 1.2m wide, up to 60cm high with a cover and excluding tow bar). An e-permit is required.

A7.7 Due to site capacity, vehicles with trailers larger than 1.8m long x 1.2m wide may only visit the following HRCs: Aylesbury (Rabans Lane); Amersham; Aston Clinton; Beaconsfield; and High Wycombe (maximum trailer size 2.4m long x 1.2m wide, up to 60cm high with a cover and excluding tow bar). An e-permit will be required.

A7.8 Where a householder has hired a commercial vehicle, they must bring their hire documents when visiting a HRC site.

A7.9 Any other type of vehicle not covered above will not be permitted access into HRCs.

A7.10 Any householder can only enter sites to deposit waste on foot if they have a valid e-Permit. Householders may not park outside sites and walk in.

A7.11 All children under the age of 12 and pets must remain in the vehicle when visiting an HRC. Children under the age of 17 should be accompanied by a responsible adult, who should supervise them at all times.

A8.1 For commercial waste, safety, site size and capacity reasons some vehicles are not allowed into any council HRC. The following vehicles will not be permitted access to any HRC:

• any vehicle carrying trade waste, unless paying to use any council Trade waste HRC
• any vehicle with more than 4 wheels unless at a council Trade waste HRC
• any vehicle weighing more than 7.5 tonnes
• any trailer larger than 2.4m long x 1.8m wide
• any vehicle with a tipper or tipping tail lift mechanism
• horseboxes
• tractors

A9.1 Chargeable household DIY waste over the free threshold/construction and industrial waste (C&I) includes:

• asbestos
• plasterboard
• ceramic tiles
• soil and hardcore
• wood waste derived from construction and demolition activities, including but not limited to:
  • internal and external doors
  • kitchen units and worktops
  • windows
  • laminate flooring and floorboards
  • door frames
  • garden sheds
  • fence panels and posts
  • outbuildings
  • any construction wood waste

Charges also apply to disposal of tyres, boilers and car parts.

A9.2 Charging non-Buckinghamshire users unless there is a SLA in place with a neighbouring authority for waste acceptance and access for all waste types including C&I waste for all HRCs. No free limits will apply including for C&I waste and frequency of visits.

A9.3 No cash payments will only be accepted, only debit/credit card or pre-payment cards.

A9.4 Appendix C (Tables C1, C2, C3 and C4) details the pricing schedule for non- Buckinghamshire users for construction and industrial waste. The charges will be reviewed as a minimum annually or due to changes in legislation. Due care and consideration has been undertaken and acting in good faith.

A10.1 The permit scheme was introduced as the council recognises that some householders may wish to use commercial type vehicles to bring in household waste and C&I waste.

A10.2 The scheme does monitor commercial vehicles onsite, frequency of visits, any waste accepted up to a limit for free and excessive waste quantities being delivered.

A10.3 ‘E-permit’ means an electronic permit, which must be obtained from the Council before visiting a HRC25.

A10.4 E-permits will be provided at no cost.

A10.5 E-permits will be sent electronically to the user in the form of an email containing a QR code. This QR code must be presented to HRC site staff on entry to HRC (either in electronic or paper format) for validation.

A10.6 Households wishing to apply for an E-permit will need to create an account using their personal information. Once an account has been created, householders will be able to apply for subsequent E-permits by logging into their waste permit account and requesting the relevant E-permit.

A10.7 Without a valid E-permit, users will be refused entry and depositing waste at any HRC.

A10.8 Should users who have already been refused entry continue to attempt to enter the site to deposit their waste, site staff will record and pass their details to the Council for enforcement investigation. Please see section 5 of the WAAP for further details.

A10.9 To ensure traffic flow at HRCs is as quick as possible, E-permit applications must be completed online26 prior to attending the site.

A10.10 E-permit applications can be made at any time of the day.

A10.11 Householders who do not have internet access can ask friends or family to apply for an e-permit on their behalf, apply for an e-permit using the internet facilities available at their local library or by phoning the council contact centre on 0300 131 6000.

A10.12 The Council contact centre is open Monday-Thursday 9am-5:30pm and Friday 9am-5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

A10.13 The E-permit service is not available to traders (see Appendix A6 for details of the Council chargeable Trade Waste Service).

A11.1 There are 4 types of E-permit which users (excluding traders) may apply for:

• Commercial vehicles and trailers E-permit
• Access on foot E-permit
• Asbestos waste E-permit
• Construction and Industrial Waste (C&I)/household DIY E-permit