Bristol Recycling Centres finally welcome van owners back to both of the local household recycling facilities after 17 months of delay to the residents permit scheme.
Van and some commercial vehicle owners who happen to just drive a van or pick-up as a private vehicle can now use their privately owned vans to deposit household waste without fear of being turned away or considered as tradesmen.
Previously all commercial vehicles and vans were banned from entering the tip to stem the flow of fee dodging tradesmen avoiding paying for their commercial waste by misuse of council run recycling centres.
Instead of paying for skips etc builders and tradesmen would pose as local residents and deposit trade waste adding to their profits but costing local tax payers more to landfill extra waste.
Prior to the lockdown in 2020 Bristol Council rolled out a permit scheme that would see residents who used cars to visit the site applying for a permit but private van owners were excluded. Now vans or commercial vans for non-commercial use have the option to apply for a permit that would allow them the same access.
Bristol Council confirmed that due to Covid restrictions and the upheaval it caused the scheme was inadvertently delayed but the good news is the scheme is fully operational and van owners can now apply for a permit to attend the site.
According to a local Bristol news website, local residents were frustrated at the council’s previous blanket ban on all vans, some residents contacted the council in complaint to voice their concerns that the council refused to recognise some people have vans for personal private use.
“I only have access to a van, a Ford Transit Custom, as my personal vehicle,” said one Bristol resident, who declined to be named.
“Having a ban on such vehicles makes sense to stop abuse by traders, but preventing applications for a permit as a Bristol resident with the vehicle privately owned, registered and insured only for private use seems unreasonable,” he added.
Although Bristol Council have now added personal use vans to their visiting regulations there are still conditions to be met. Any privately owned van that visit the recycling centre should be registered to the owner in a private non business capacity and only household waste can be disposed of.
Bristol Waste have confirmed that the permit scheme is now running smoothly.
