The Haz Guide

Durham County Council (DCC) has 15 HWRCs within its borders; it introduced a permit scheme to discourage trade waste abuse in December 2004. The permit scheme requires any vans, trailers or pickup vehicles to apply for a permit. A permit allows one visit per vehicle, owners of these vehicles may apply for up to five permits at a time. They are then valid for 28 days. Permits can be acquired by residents electronically or by visiting town hall or local council offices. The application process records the address and vehicle details and allows council staff to monitor and respond to any potential abuse.

The reason for introducing the permit system was because previously there was a dramatic increase in trade waste abuse and it was calculated that in 2004 this contributed an extra £1 million in costs to the council.

When the permit scheme was introduced there was a dramatic decrease in tonnages at the sites. Tonnages at three HWRCs fell by over 50%, highlighting the previous abuse.
DCC provides information to traders on where to dispose and recycle their waste.
Clearly the permit scheme also had a major impact on hazardous and non-hazardous waste entering sites.

In order to promote good practice and increase good waste management practice amongst traders, DCC is currently commissioning a business card and advice booklet for small traders to use. This includes information and advice on:

The guide will be distributed through hire shops and other outlets which are used by the target audience. Other useful information on trade waste input and controls is available.