SWB briefing, July 2017

Somerset Waste Partnership Briefing for Members, Partners and Staff July 2017

Permit success eases access Somerset’s vehicle permits scheme has proved so successful that Somerset Waste Board has, after a full review and listening carefully to residents, decided to allow vans, pick-ups and car-towed trailers access whenever recycling sites are open, including all weekends.

Other simplifications include a clearer way to identify vehicles requiring permits by using their N1 registration category, and adding all campervans and minibuses to the system.

A report on the permit scheme’s first six months found that it achieved all its aims: to cut congestion, control illegal commercial users, bar out-of-county visitors from holding permits, maintain safety and improve services.

Some 22,000 Somerset residents with vans, pick-ups and car-towed trailers took a minute to order a free permit online directly or via a library. Recycling site staff have seen a decrease in commercial users taking advantage of busy sites to sneak in waste they must legally pay to dispose of, while many out-of-county visitors have been barred from using sites.

The amount of waste brought in by illegal and out-of-county users has been cut significantly, saving hundreds of thousands of pounds, but forecasts of a rise in fly-tipping proved wrong, with overall dumping figures for Somerset falling to a five-year low.

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