Household Recycling Centre (HRC) Vehicle Access Policy EQIA

Aims of the strategy

The aim of the policy is to control trade waste abuse of the Household Recycling Centre (HRC) service while allowing access to legitimate users

Background to the proposal

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides the statutory obligation for the Council to arrange for places to be provided at which persons resident in its area may deposit their household waste and each place is available for the deposit of waste free of charge by persons resident in the area (section 51)

Most, if not all, councils operate some form of restrictions policy which may include height barriers, van and trailer bans, weight restrictions and permit systems to control access to their HRCs

These schemes have proved successful in their aims and this has become increasingly important as the cost of waste treatment and disposal continues to rise and the temptation for traders to misuse household waste facilities increases

This is a challenging area to control and police as a lot of commercial waste is in nature very similar to household waste, for example waste from gardeners and independent trades people. It is difficult to distinguish from legitimate waste produced from householders, but it is more likely to be delivered via a trade vehicle.

Vehicle restrictions at HRCs were first introduced in January 2003 when a ban on all vans except where there were the sole means of transport in a household was enforced. This was amended in October 2009 when limited entry was permitted for some commercial vehicles and hire vans. The focus of these restrictions was and still is to tackle trade waste abuse.

Where permits are required under the current policy two options exist:

the Sole Vehicle Permit - where this is only the vehicle belonging to a household, is not commercially registered and is not sign written. Permit holders can make unlimited visits on any day of the week
the Limited Entry Permit – where there is more than one vehicle belonging to a household or the vehicle is commercially registered, or sign written. Only allowed for use during weekdays (excluding bank holidays)

Both types of permit are for Dorset Council residents only and only one permit can be issued per household.

It is proposed to amend the policy:

that sole vehicle visits are limited to 12 visits per year, this is currently unlimited. Sole vehicles are defined by the policy as vehicles which are the only vehicle belonging to a household, that is not sign written, not commercially registered and requires a permit.
that weekend access for limited entry permits is allowed and increase visits to six per year. Limited entry permits are defined by the policy for where there is more than one vehicle belonging to a household or the vehicle is commercially registered, or sign written. Currently only three visits are permitted.
that dual crew cab, ‘pick up’ type vehicles are added to in the ‘needs a permit’ list
that an annual declaration for permit renewal is required rather than automatic renewal of all permits

Intelligence and Communication

Data, information, evidence and research used and how it has influenced the decision-making process

The policy changes are informed and supported by results obtained from a public consultation exercise. This ran between 28 May 2021 and 11 July 2021 and received a total of 3,289 responses.

Of the total amount of respondents 535 had used the existing scheme to access an HRC with a permit for a vehicle. Based on the total amount of ‘live’ permits this represents which is 15% of all current permit holders.

A range of questions relating to the HRC service were asked including specific question relating to the existing vehicle permit scheme.

Sole Vehicle Permits:

The council’s permit database shows that of the current sole vehicle permit holders (3,233 in total) only 5% of holders use the HRCs more than 12 times per year. Results from the public consultation show that 84% of respondents visit an HRC up to 12 times per year. Of these respondents who currently use permits only 11% use an HRC more than 12 times per year.

Number of visits allowed by limited entry permits and weekend access:

The current system only allows weekday use with the limited entry permit. This has often been the source of complaints and is cited as impractical for working people. Allowing access at weekends makes the use of commercially marked vehicles for household waste delivery possible when working residents are more likely to have the free time to make the journey.

This approach correlates well with the responses received within the consultation. With van users, identifying the weekends as the best time to use the HRCs.

Of those respondents who had used the limited entry permit 63% didn’t feel this had met their needs. The main reasons attributed to these judgments were the limit of three visits per year and not being able to use the HRCs at the weekend.

Dual “crew cab” pick-up vehicles:

Currently only single cab pickups require a permit. Dual crew cab pickups type vehicles have large carrying capacities and are often used by commercial businesses. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest these vehicles are being used to circumvent existing restrictions. Putting them in scope to require a permit seeks to limit the impact of commercial waste abuse at the HRCs while allowing reasonable access for legitimate users. This also provide parity across all pick up classifications.

Consultation results do not fully support this inclusion with only 41.3% of respondents identifying Double cab pickups as vehicles currently not requiring permits as needing one. However of the options provided for vehicles which should require a permit they were the most frequently identified.

This update would also provide continuity with most of neighbouring authorities who currently require these vehicles to have permits.

Engagement or consultation that has taken place as part of this EqIA

Residents
HRC Contractor

Assessment

Impacts of the strategy

Impacts on who or what?	Effect	Detail
Age Gender reassignment and Gender Identity Marriage or civil partnership Pregnancy and maternity Race and Ethnicity Religion and belief Sex (consider men and women) Sexual orientation People with caring responsibilities Rural isolation Socio-economic deprivation Armed forces communities	Neutral	There is no impact on these characteristics
Disability	Neutral	There is no impact on this characteristic, residents with disability may be more likely to require a specialist larger vehicle, but these will still be able to access the HRC

Summary of impacts

There are no impacts on protected characteristics

People who have agreed the EQIA

Name Ian Manley, Jason Jones

Date 29 September 2021

Equality Lead Becky Forrester