CIVIC AMENITY SITE

So you want to try and dodge the impact of strict rubbish quotas at home? Tough! Householders will have to pay to take rubbish to the tip under new charges being introduced. Families will be fined if they exceed a set amount of rubbish they leave outside for the dustman but if they try to avoid these charges by driving their domestic refuse to the tip, they will have to pay anyway. Councils are preparing to restrict the use of tips because the areas where fortnightly bin collections have been introduced have experienced heavy use and long queues.

Households will be given a fixed allowance for the amount of unrecycled rubbish they may leave out and if they recycle more rubbish and leave out less unsorted refuse, they will earn refunds from the council. However, if they put out too much waste which cannot be recycled, they will face bills. Typically, a family will have to put out only a single sack of rubbish a week to qualify for money back. Wheelie bins issued by councils will be fitted not only with chips to identify which home they belong to, but with locks so that nobody can dump their waste in somebody else’s bin.

Ministers said the quota and fine system will be "revenue neutral", that is, councils will not use it to fill their own coffers, but in fact the new rubbish regime will be a big moneyspinner for town halls. Environment Department documents show that thanks to the cheaper costs of collecting less rubbish, councils are expected to gain around £18 for every house and flat in their district. Across the country, the new system is expected to save £94million but the money will not be returned to council tax payers in lower bills. A quota and fine system will not be imposed on councils. Instead, new legislation will give them the power to introduce them. (Source: Daily Mail, May/07)

All vans/pick ups under 3.5 tonnes gross and vehicles with trailers need a Permit to use the Civic Amenity Site. The Permit system is designed to stop non-household waste being disposed of at these sites and thereby provide better value for money services to the Council Tax payers of Derby. Vans, commercial type vehicles and large trailers, will not be allowed to tip at the Civic Amenity Centre, unless they have a valid Permit to tip but householders using their car to dispose of their own household waste will be able to do so without a Permit.

A car is defined as a vehicle, owned by a household, designed primarily for transporting people. Specialist vehicles, such as 4x4s, Land Rovers and people carriers will be classed as a car providing they have rear windows and forward facing rear seats. All users of the site will be encouraged to separate out materials for recycling and reuse, and are required to follow all site rules. A temporary Permit allows up to ten trips, subject to the Construction Waste Rules. There is a maximum issue of one Permit per vehicle or address in any 3 month period, subject to a maximum of 4 Permits over a 12 month period.

Details of ownership of vehicles may be checked with the DVLA. If, like most people, you take your own household waste in your own car, you will not need a Permit to continue to use the Civic Amenity Site. If you would like to use another vehicle, such as a van or trailer, then you will need to apply for a Permit to tip before you go to the site. If the van you are using is a hired van, you will need to state how many visits you are intending to make to the site and a permit will be issued. Please note that height restriction barriers exist.

Providing that you can answer YES to the following questions, you may be eligible for a Permit to tip:

* Do you live in the City of Derby and pay Council Tax to Derby City Council?
* Will you be bringing only household waste from your own home?
* Do you know the details of the vehicle that you will be using?
* Are you willing to have an inspector visit your household, if necessary, to verify the waste that you want to deposit?

You can apply for a Permit by contacting StreetCare between 9.00 - 5.00 (4.30 on Friday) by phone on 01332 715000 or collect the Permit from the StreetCare Section, Saxon House, Friary Street, Derby.

We will need the following details from you:

* Your name, address and telephone number
* Vehicle registration, make and trade name
* Description of the waste
* When you are going to deliver
* How many trips you will make

Permits applied for before 1.00pm will be posted the same day by second class post.

And they wonder why there's so much fly-tipping!