Waste carrying licence, do we need them?

[Gavin John Hyde]

I got pulled over today by the council waste management jobsworth otherwise known as the Bath branch of the Gestapo.
It seems that I should have had a waste licence to take my scrap metal to the scrapper!
As until it arrives at the scrap yard and is processed it is waste and i should have transfer notes...
When i pulled up at the scrap yard the Gestapo were doing some checks to check compliance with whatever rules they were worried about at the yard, they were accompanied with environmental agency and pretend police officers known as PCSO's. When i brought my metal in, they turned and asked me for a load of paperwork! when i said i don't have it, the pretend police woman told me in her best grown up voice (she barely looked out of her teens) i could be prosecuted and fined!
I knew we should have a licence if taking waste in pursuit of construction related activities such as plaster board, bits of wood and old conduit etc when working in a property.
Hence, why 99% of time i include on the t and c's with customer that they need to get rid of it. i tell them i will have to charge more if they want me to shift it. A licence to take scrap in is a new one.

Anybody else had issues with this or with waste licenses? seems i may have to buy one, not sure if upper or lower tier though... the website is a bit cryptic and i think tries to get you on to the more expensive one.

 

[Octopus]

Jobs worth ............. and they wonder why people like using country lanes..........

 

[plugsandsparks]

Last time i checked, there is a free one which should be enough for your needs, I have a higher tier as i carry waste Fgas.

 

[The Ghost]

Fgas?

 

[davesparks]

Fgas?

Fridge gas, or refrigerant used in air con etc

 

[D Skelton]

Yes, if you carry waste you need one. End of. £100 every 5 years can save you a world of grief. Tradesmen are easy pickings when the council want to fill their coffers a little.

 

[SparkyChick]

I have the free lower tier one as I was advised by my scheme that the local councils had a reputation for doing the sort of thing you've described, but the example they used were sparks taking old fluorescent tubes for recycling at wholesalers. Council bod would sit out side in his own car, watch sparks go in with old tubes and then stop them when they came out empty handed.

The free one allows you to carry the waste from anything you take to the site only (which could include a partially used drum of cable, the bag you packed your sandwiches in). You'd need a paid one if you want to start humping bags of rubble or all the old cable from an install for example. I just include in my Ts&Cs that it's the customers responsibility to deal with the waste.

 

[Zdb]

If you remove an old fluorescent light fitting and carry the spent tube in your van, technically you're carrying hazardous waste! This requires a license and a document detailing where it came from and where it's going.

Madness.

 

[danzor]

Haha what a joke, penny pinching....

 

[telectrix]

stand tube in bin. hit with hammer. none hazardous then and no transport required.

 

[suffolkspark]

stand tube in bin. hit with hammer. none hazardous then and no transport required.

you forgot to add "hold breath" don't want that 0.0000000001% mercury getting in those lungs, who knows what damage it could cause when mixed with the celotex, fibreglass and other crap lurking in there!

 

[mattg4321]

I would've been seriously tempted to tell them to FO.

I know its an overused phrase but isn't there something better they could be doing with their time and our money? Councils and councillors are absolute cretins in the most part ime.

 

[Squid]

If you remove an old fluorescent light fitting and carry the spent tube in your van, technically you're carrying hazardous waste! This requires a license and a document detailing where it came from and where it's going.

Madness.

Just reminded me as when I was an apprentice at Whiteleys Dept Store Bayswater back in the 80's launching tubes from the 4th floor in to the skip below,

 

[Marvo]

Sounds like a money making scheme, does it actually serve any useful purpose other that removing money from the pockets of soft targets like tradesmen?

 

[davesparks]

Sounds like a money making scheme, does it actually serve any useful purpose other that removing money from the pockets of soft targets like tradesmen?

The theory is that it ensures waste is disposed of correctly and provides a paper trail to prove that you have disposed of your waste correctly and not dumped it on the side of the road.

In practice? I doubt it.