Recycling centres to be limited to residents only
People currently do not have to prove they are a North Yorkshire resident when they visit a household waste recycling centre
- Published
Free use of North Yorkshire's household waste recycling centres could soon be limited to residents of the county only.
North Yorkshire Council intends to introduce a registration policy for the 20 centres it runs to save money by preventing people from outside the county using the service.
Surveys found about one in six users of the county's waste sites had travelled from elsewhere.
Under the proposed system, residents would register with the council prior to using a waste site by providing their name, address, and vehicle registration.
During the initial roll-out period of up to three months, the council said additional staff at the busiest sites would assist non-registered visitors to apply in real time or use an online postcode checker to allow access on the first occasion.
After the roll-out period, non-registered visitors would apply in real time or return once registered.
A public consultation found 69% of respondents were in favour of the move.
'Financial impact'
In a report to senior councillors, Peter Jeffreys, head of waste services at the council, said the authority was currently in the minority by not limiting the use of its centres to county residents.
The change would "make a significant financial contribution" to the council's financial strategy, Jeffreys said.
He added: "Perceived impacts on fly-tipping are not supported by the experience of councils or independent research."
The council is also looking to limit the number of visits to the sites made by residents using what officials describe as "commercial-like vehicles" such as vans and pick-ups.
It is difficult for staff to determine whether these vehicles are carrying domestic waste, which is free to dump, or commercial waste, which is chargeable, the authority said.
It is hoped that a limit of 12 visits a year for the vehicles would reduce the amount of commercial waste being deposited for free at the sites, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Research by the council found that most neighbouring authorities asked residents to register to use their waste sites and limited the number of visits by vans and pick-ups.
A report on the proposed changes will be presented to senior councillors in October.
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