Hampshire residents are being asked to register their vehicles for continued free access to Hampshire Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).
Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment at Hampshire County Council said: “The County Council’s extensive network of HWRCs provides one of the most efficient, effective and convenient ways for residents to recycle and dispose of household waste in Hampshire.
“We know that people living close to the Hampshire border often use Hampshire’s HWRCs, and we want to continue to accommodate them and encourage recycling. However, to make this fair to Hampshire council taxpayers who are already contributing to the £100million annual costs of dealing with Hampshire’s household waste, we are introducing a fee for non-Hampshire residents of £5 per visit.”
A new resident permit system will begin operating next year. It will be controlled by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and will ensure continued free access for Hampshire residents to any of Hampshire’s 24 HWRCs to dispose of household waste, while access for non-Hampshire residents will be for a fee of £5 per visit. Charges for non-household waste, including soil and rubble, plasterboard and asbestos remain.
Hampshire residents can register up to three vehicles via the Hampshire County Council website. The system will quickly check the registration of the cars coming into the site against the number plates that have been registered so that Hampshire residents can freely enter the sites as many times as they wish, without any further checks.
The introduction of this system will allow those living outside Hampshire to continue to use Hampshire HWRCs while making a contribution towards the costs of disposal of their household waste in Hampshire.
Hampshire residents, including those who live in Southampton and Portsmouth, will be able to register for free access to any Hampshire HWRC from 19 December 2019 at www.hants.gov.uk/vehicle-registration-hwrc
Over the busy Christmas and New Year period, visitors to Hampshire HWRCs will be encouraged to register ahead of their next visit, with the operational start date for the ANPR system to be determined early next year. There is no registration required for access to the Paulsgrove HWRC in Portsmouth. Hampshire residents who already hold a van or trailer permit do not need to re-register that particular vehicle.
For residents without internet access, please call 0300 555 1389 to register.