Visiting a household waste recycling centre in a van, pickup or trailer

What large vehicles are allowed to visit our Linwood recycling centre, what commercial waste is, bringing commercial waste to the Linwood site.

All other recycling centres may only be used by cars.

Vehicles allowed at Linwood recycling centre	Vehicles NOT allowed at Linwood recycling centre
Cars Vans less than 3.5t weight (max 4 wheels) Pick-ups Cars, vans and pick-ups with a single axle trailer less than 1.8 m long x 1.2 m wide Mini bus (8 or more seats)	Vehicles over 3.5t weight Tipper vehicles Vehicles with a trailer more than 1.8 m long x 1.2 m wide Vehicles with twin axle trailers A vehicle with commercial waste Vehicles with more than four wheels

What will happen when I visit the Linwood site?

You should join the end of the queue if there is one via Middleton Road, but the sites are busy at the moment so you may have to wait.

The site closes at 6pm so if the queue is too long you may be asked to come back another day. Last entry for vans, pickup or trailers is 17:30.

You must bring photographic identification and proof of residency within Renfrewshire with you e.g. a passport and utility bill or photocard driving licence with your current address on it. You will not be allowed on site without these documents.

You must obtain a permit and this must be applied for in advance. You can do this here - HWRC permit.

Additional enforcement activity, including automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) and Enforcement Officers, will be onsite to ensure commercial waste is not illegally deposited.

All waste is subject to a visual inspection by an Enforcement Officer and you may be asked to provide proof of where the waste came from. Any waste that is suspected to be commercial will not be accepted on site until an investigation is carried out.

What is commercial waste?

Any waste that comes from a trade/business activity is commercial waste.

If you use part of your home to run your business, or if you pay someone to take away your waste, it becomes commercial waste, and this cannot be brought to any Renfrewshire recycling centre. This includes 'man and a van' services, gardeners, tradespeople and childminders.

Any tradesperson carrying out work in your home, e.g. gardener or builder, should dispose of the waste through an approved process as this cannot not be taken to a HWRC.

It is their responsibility and yours to ensure they dispose of waste at/via a licenced waste contractor, in accordance with their Duty of Care as a waste carrier.

What happens if I bring commercial waste to the site?

If an offence has been committed by the depositing of trade, industrial or commercial waste then prosecution may be sought which may make you liable:

on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding £40,000 or both; or
on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and/or a fine may be liable

We may also issue a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200.

We may share any details of businesses we suspect to be illegally disposing of waste with Scottish Environment Protection Agency for further investigation.

What items can I bring to the HWRC site?

You can check for a full list of items accepted at our sites here - What can I dispose of?.

Renfrewshire Council