Recycling Centre terms and conditions

We publish information about:

• how to book a slot
• the number of slots you can book
• what to bring with you
• length of booking slots
• what to wear to stay safe

Find this on the book a slot at a Recycling Centre page.

There may be circumstances where we refuse you entry to a centre.

Staff will turn you away if you do not:

• have a booking - staff will check your vehicle registration number to make sure you have booked a slot
• have your proof of residency and booking confirmation
• arrive on time
  • if you're too early, staff may ask you to re-join the queue or return at your booked slot time
  • if you arrive after your appointed slot ends you will have to leave and re-book
• use an authorised vehicle type

Staff may also refuse entry if:

• you have materials that the site cannot accept - check our A to Z guide
• they believe you are disposing of commercial waste

Vehicle restrictions exist for health and safety reasons and vary at specific centres. Plan your visit by checking details for the relevant Recycling Centre.

Your vehicle must fit under the clearly marked height barriers at our Recycling Centres. If you cause any damage to height barriers by using an over-height vehicle we will charge you for repairs.

Staff will refuse entry if you arrive at the centre in a vehicle that we do not permit at that site or that we deem unsafe.

We can only accept household waste at our Recycling Centres.

The person producing the recycling and waste must deliver it to the Recycling Centre. If they are unable to deliver it themselves, they must accompany the person transporting their waste. If the person producing the waste does not accompany it to the Recycling Centre, it is classed as commercial waste.

It is against the law to deposit commercial waste, or any waste produced during the course of a business transaction, at a Recycling Centre. This is because we are bound by the terms of licences we must operate under.

The Environment Agency issue these licences to all Recycling Centres and state:

• what waste the centre can accept
• who can use the centre

This is for the protection of people and the surrounding environment.

In addition, Recycling Centre planning permissions state that the centres may only allow householders to bring household waste.

Finally, taxpayers fund the operation and costs of waste handling and disposal at Recycling Centres. Commercial use of Recycling Centres comes at a cost. It is neither fair, nor right, that West Sussex taxpayers subsidise business activity in this way.

If you are a business producing waste, you need to take your waste to a site that has a licence to accept commercial waste.

If Recycling Centre staff believe that you are disposing of business waste, they will refuse your entry to the centre.

West Sussex County Council reserves the right to make further enquiries about the source of your waste. If we think your waste is from a commercial source, we may take further action. This may include, but is not limited to:

• a warning notice
• exclusions from our Recycling Centres
• legal action

We place some restrictions on the types of material that you can dispose of at some of our Recycling Centres.

Before you attend a Recycling Centre you must check that your chosen site can accept your:

• type of waste
• amount of waste

We detail any restrictions in our A to Z guide.

Staff may refuse access to the Recycling Centre if your items break the material restrictions for the site.

We have no statutory duty to offer facilities for this type of waste, however we do offer a limited service to accept small quantities. All of our Recycling Centres (except our mobile centres) accept up to 200kg of building, construction, and demolition materials.

This is the equivalent of:

• a small car boot load
• a small domestic trailer load
• 8 x 25kg rubble type bags (number of bags is a guide based on Health and Safety Executive guidelines)

There are specific exceptions at some sites. Check that you can dispose of your material at your chosen site using our A to Z guide.

For large quantities of construction and demolition waste, we recommend you hire a skip or Hippo bag.

If you are not an approved contractor, you must not remove any items from our Recycling Centres.

Removing items from a Recycling Centre is theft and is strictly prohibited.

If you are caught, West Sussex County Council may take further action. This could include, but is not limited to, exclusions from our Recycling Centres or legal action.

Abusive and aggressive behaviour is any behaviour that causes damaging or hurtful effects, physically or emotionally, on other people. This behaviour may include, but is not limited to:

• verbal abuse (including name calling)
• bullying, shouting or swearing
• threats of any kind
• assault (whether resulting in injury or not)
• assault using a weapon or other instrument
• threat of harm to property or family
• discriminatory abuse (such as racial or sexual)

Such behaviour will not be tolerated at any West Sussex County Council Recycling Centre. Should you behave in this way, you will be asked to leave the site.

If you fail to leave when asked or if you continually abuse centre staff, we reserve the right to take further action. This may include, but is not limited to:

• a warning notice
• exclusions from our Recycling Centres
• legal action

Although most centres allow some access without a vehicle, restrictions vary. Plan your visit by checking details about the relevant Recycling Centre.

Our staff will ask you to leave your material with them. They will take your items and place them in the correct container for you. If you do not hand your waste to staff and dump it either on or off site, we will treat your waste as fly tipped. Fly tipping is illegal.

If you park a vehicle off site intending to walk in to the centre, staff will not accept your waste.