Clampdown on illegal use of Kingston and Sutton waste and recycling sites

New van and large vehicle scheme at Villiers Road and
Kimpton Park Way sites will deter irresponsible traders

Kingston and Sutton councils will be piloting a new van and large vehicle scheme at their Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs) from next month, aimed at preventing the illegal use of the sites by rogue traders.

From 3 December 2018, anyone visiting the Villiers Road (Kingston) or Kimpton Park Way (Sutton) HRRC sites in a van, pick-up truck, minibus (with 10 seats or more), a vehicle with panels instead of rear windows or vehicles with rear seats permanently removed will need to register online by 4pm the day before their visit. Residents visiting the sites in vehicles covered by the new scheme will be limited to 12 visits in any 12-month rolling period.

Councillor Hilary Gander, Kingston Council representative on the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee, said:

“Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data collected at our HRRC sites suggests that they are too frequently being used by traders to dispose of commercial waste. Some vans are visiting the sites dozens of times each month. Why should local residents pick up the very substantial bill for disposing of this commercial waste when traders should be paying for it themselves? It’s wrong and it has to stop. I am confident this new van and large vehicle scheme will go a long way to solving the problem.”

Councillor Manuel Abellan, Sutton Council representative on the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee, added:

“By clamping down on the illegal use of our HRRC sites, we will save money and shorten the queue times for genuine site users. The objective of this pilot scheme is to target site abuse but not to hinder the use of the sites by honest residents who happen to drive larger vehicles. This is a difficult balance to strike. We hope that residents will work with us during the pilot period so we can learn lessons and make adjustments where necessary.”

The HRRCs are managed by Veolia, on behalf of the South London Waste Partnership boroughs (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton). Christine Stacey, Veolia’s Contract Manager for the South London Waste Partnership HRRCs, said:

“Our teams on site will be supporting and advising residents while this scheme is introduced as well as implementing the new rules to protect the facilities from illegal trade use. I would ask residents to work with us while this is happening so we can achieve our goals of ensuring fair usage of the sites, reducing waiting times for legitimate site users and keeping costs down.”

For more details on the new van and large vehicle scheme visit:
Kingston residents: www.kingston.gov.uk/recycling
Sutton residents: www.sutton.gov.uk/vanpermit

Ends.

Notes to Editors

• The South London Waste Partnership is made up of four London Boroughs (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton) who are working together to provide improved and more cost-effective waste management services to their residents
• In October 2015, the South London Waste Partnership awarded a contract to Veolia to manage the six Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs) – more commonly known as ‘the tip’ – located across the Partnership region
• On behalf of the Partnership, Veolia is responsible for:
  • General management of the six sites – staffing, equipment and site layout improvement;
  • The transportation of all materials, and
  • The recycling, treatment, and/or disposal of waste collected at all of the HRRC sites (excluding green and residual waste, which is handled by Viridor)
• The Partnership monitors the contract with Veolia using three key performance indicators:
  • Site user experience (measured through satisfaction surveys)
  • Health and safety
  • Recycling rate achieved – the target is a 70% recycling rate at each of the six sites
• Information about the HRRCs, including locations, opening times and what materials can and can’t be recycled/disposed of, are available from the council websites.