SOMERSET NEWS: Just four days remain to get your recycling site permit

MORE than 5,000 people have applied for a recycling site permit and now there are just four days left to be certain of getting one in good time.

On the day (Tuesday, September 13, 2016) recycling site permit application numbers passed the 5,000 mark, Somerset Waste Partnership is alerting residents who regularly use sites to check now to see if they need a permit.

With permits taking ten working days to arrive, only four days remain for Somerset residents who need a permit for their van, pick-up or trailer to apply and be sure it will arrive in good time before the new measures start at 8am on Monday, October 3, 2016.

Those will use recycling sites less frequently should check the dates and delivery schedule now to ensure they have a permit when required.

To cut recycling site congestion, improve services and enhance safety, the new measures will exclude large vans, box/Luton vans, large trailers, box trailers, horse boxes, tractors, and trailers of any size towed by vans or pick-ups of any size.

Vans up to 3.5 tonnes, pick-ups, and trailers of up to three metres floor length towed by cars can use them with a permit. Trailers cannot have a permit to be towed by vans or pick-ups.

In another move to cut congestion, out-of-county visitors, who pay nothing towards waste services, will not be able to apply for a permit.

Drivers of cars, including saloons, estates, 4x4s, people carriers and campervans, will not need a permit and will see no change except less congestion.

Applications must be made online at www.somersetwaste.gov.uk/permit – or via libraries for those without internet access.

An SWP spokesman said: “Application numbers are now climbing past 5,000, so anyone else needing a permit should go online soon to be sure they have their permit in good time.

“Our aim is a swift, smooth and safe recycling site visit every time for all Somerset residents; getting many more vehicles out of their way will be a great help.”

In surveys, Somerset residents have given recycling sites an 87% satisfaction rating, with a majority wanting controls or bans on large vehicles and visitors from outside the county.

Residents who acquire vehicles or trailers that need permits after the scheme starts on October 3, 2016, can apply at any time. If all details remain unchanged, permits will be valid for three years.

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