Council Recycling Centres/Tips

[barry1010]

If the councils and government were serious about 'going green' and lowering emissions we would be able to use the tip closest to home, regardless of which council paid for it.

My council has closed one tip and lost access to another so many people have to drive past another council's tip to reach the only tip available to them, maybe a 30 or 40 mile round trip for some. We used to have two free bulk waste collections a year but that serviced stopped some years ago. It is no big surprise that fly tipping has increased significantly in this area although there is never a good reason to do that (often people have paid in good faith to have their rubbish removed only for it be flytipped by a rogue trader).

Just having a moan. Does your council provide adequate recycling centres for all?

[choux]

No idea for the whole of my LA but the nearest to me is about 4 miles away. Friends in the next county are within 2 miles of the same centre and are supposed to use one in their county roughly 15 miles away from them. Double that for a return journey and it is not so green, so I haven't reported them!

[bhg481]

Our council will allow "foreigners" to buy a permit to use our tips. We residents register our vehicle with the council; after that we make an online booking and just turn up. Some people bleat about having to book; we cheer because there are no queues.

[bednobs]

the ones in my (and BHG's) area are also very choosy. I am trying to recycle a load of broken glass (about a wheelbarrow's worth) and they won't take it!

[bednobs]

or used tins of paint

[bhg481]

bednobs - I've just looked at the website and it says they take paint but no mention of broken glass. I'd put a bit in your bin each week.

[barry1010]

The councils seem to make life very difficult. Apparently we are supposed to wrap broken glass 'securely' and put it in the general waste bin. Not see easy when you've got a wheelbarrow's worth

[Buenchico]

Suffolk has 11 recycling centres, with a compulsory booking system in place. Although you're required to include your address on the booking form, I can see nothing on the relevant website to suggest that waste from people living outside the county won't be accepted.

The neighbouring county of Norfolk doesn't use a booking system, so the staff at recycling centres in the county won't know where a vehicle has come from anyway.

Essex operates a booking system, primarily for residents of the county only. However their website states:
"Residents from nearby areas in Suffolk or Hertfordshire can also visit the sites. This is thanks to reciprocal partnerships with Suffolk County Council and Hertfordshire County Council allowing cross-border use"

Cambridgeshire's website states that their recycling centres are intended for use solely by residents of that county but, as they don't operate a booking system, there's no way that their staff could tell if someone had driven there from further afield.

So it seems that, in effect (either because of reciprocal agreements or a lack of any method of enforcing the rules), all residents of Suffolk are free to use their nearest recycling centre, irrespective of whether that centre is actually located within the county.

[bhg481]

I seem to remember that in our area it was Reading BC who started residents only tipping and that kicked off West Berks and Hampshire following suit.

[barry1010]

The recycling centres here ask for two pieces of ID, one of which must be the council tax bill, to be presented on arrival to prove that you live in the borough.

[zebo]

I have a recycling centre a couple of miles away and they're very helpful too, there's another one 10 miles away so I suppose I'm very lucky. I've never heard of bulk rubbish collection in the UK, we had that service available once a month but that's a long time ago.

[zebo]

//The neighbouring county of Norfolk doesn't use a booking system, so the staff at recycling centres in the county won't know where a vehicle has come from anyway.//

I've never heard of a booking system, Norfolk, never realised how lucky we are! They have special days, 2 or 3 a year for old paint cans and other odd things,