Changes to Recycling Centres in Essex

New Rules and Regulations

Essex County Council have their policies on what they will allow into their recycling centres.  It is be a criminal offence for a business to leave waste at Recycling Centres in Essex, and anyone found doing so could find themselves with a £50,000 fine.

Business and trade waste is classed as but is not limited to: builders or tradesmen carrying out work on a property they do not live in; waste from the landlord of a property; any man with a van or clearance service; any waste produced from running a business from home.

Council run recycling centres are strictly for residents with waste from their own properties. However the rising number of businesses bringing in waste to avoid having to pay waste disposal costs has resulted in the council cracking down on the types of materials that they will allow.

Which Recycling Centres are affected?

Recycling plants in Canvey Island, Burnham on Crouch, Chigwell, Dovercourt, Kirby, Lawford, Mountnessing, Rayleigh, South Woodham Ferrers, Waltham Abbey, West Mersea and Witham will have the strictest rules, and will be refusing to take ANY soil, hardcore, plasterboard, ceramics (toilets, tiles, sinks etc) kitchen and bathroom units, uPVC and wooden doors and windows.

They will also be restricting access to vans, pick-up trucks and tippers and any vehicle towing a trailer with more than one axle.

Other sites will have slightly more relaxed rules including Braintree, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester, Harlow, Maldon, Pitsea and Saffron Waldon.

They will allow three wheelbarrow loads of soil, hardcore or plasterboard and one wheelbarrow load of tiles per customer in a 28 day period, and three large ceramic toilets, one uPVC or wooden window frame, one uPVC or wooden external door, three wooden internal doors and any elements of a built in kitchen within a 6 month period.

You can find your nearest recycling centre here – Recycling Centres in Essex

How do I now dispose of my waste?

So, as a homeowner you will still be able to take your household waste to your local recycling centre, but what if you have DIY waste that you’ll need to dispose of? Small amounts of DIY waste can still be taken to larger recycling centres in Essex, but you may need to think about hiring a skip if you have large amounts of DIY or trade waste or take the waste to a waste transfer site.

Luckily, that’s where we can help! We have an extensive database of professional, reliable skip hire companies in Essex ready to help with any waste disposal enquiries you may have.

We spoke to one of our suppliers, Canvey Skip Hire & Recycling Ltd about the changes that are coming into place, how it will affect them and what they are doing to prepare for the new rules. 

Director Zoe Clark said “we expect the new rules will mean more business for us as people will have limited options when it comes to how they will dispose of their DIY and trade waste.

We have also begun to review a new ‘Weigh and Pay’ service , so people can bring single items in that are now restricted at recycling centres such as toilets and doors.

Furthermore, we also have a ‘Man with a Van’ service that we have been running for a while now, and are ready for an increase in customers needing this service. We have our own waste transfer station so our customers can be sure that their waste will be recycled and disposed of responsibly. “

For more information on skip hire prices or other waste disposal services in Essex give us a call on 0800 019 4530 and we will be happy to help. Alternatively you can visit us at Find A Skip for more information and to book online.