Restrictions on how many times you can visit the tip to be introduced next month

A limit on the number of times you can visit the local tip will be introduced in February.

As of next month, cars and cars with single axle trailers will be allowed 52 visits per year – or approximately once a week – whilst cars with double axle trailers and vans up to 3.5 tonne gross vehicle weight will be allowed 18 times per year.

Vans above 3.5 tonne gross vehicle weight will be restricted to 12 times a year, or roughly once a month.

A new automatic number plate recognition system that will monitor the number of times each vehicle has used the household waste recycling centre will be introduced to keep a record of your visits.

New digital display boards at the entrance will show your registration number as you enter, and the number of visits will be calculated on a central system.

The visit allowances apply to all of Greater Manchester’s household waste recycling centres.

If you use more than one household waste recycling centre, all your visits count towards your total allowance.

The limit has been introduced to prevent businesses from using household recycling centres

In a leaflet released by Recycle for Greater Manchester and Suez, the companies said: “To deter traders, we are introducing limits on the number of times household waste recycling centres can be used by residents of Greater Manchester (excluding Wigan) each year, dependent on the type of vehicle used.

“The limit will still give you plenty of access to dispose of and recycle your household waste. The purpose of the limit is to stop businesses using household waste recycling centres, not prevent residents from visiting.”

If you are recycling rubble from a DIY project, you are only allowed to bring five average-sized (approximately 900mm x 600mm) rubble sacks or bags per visit. This is designed to stop traders illegally using household waste recycling centres for disposing of large quantities of rubble.

If you are having building work done to your house by a trader, they are legally responsible for removing the waste. They should factor the cost of this waste removal into their quote and charge you accordingly. It is your responsibility to make sure that they have a valid waste carrier’s licence and that they provide details of where the waste will be taken for disposal.

A GMCA spokesperson said: “GMCA are introducing the new access restriction policy at all of our 20 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in response to continuous illegal use of the sites by traders and businesses who are disposing of their waste for free. This illegal activity increases operating costs that are passed on to councils. Greater Manchester is one of the only local authority areas that currently do not operate a permit system or similar restriction at the HWRCs. 

“The new policy will be introduced in February 2020 and will use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and vehicle load checks to stop traders from using the sites. Traders will be redirected to licenced waste facilities where they should pay for their waste disposal.

“The limits on the number of visits allowed has to be implemented to all visitors; residents and traders alike to allow us to identify traders illegally using the sites. The limit for a standard car has been set at a level that means that residents disposing of household waste should not be impacted by the changes.”

For more information on the changes, visit:

• recycleforgreatermanchester.com