Using our household waste recycling sites – site rules and policies
Using our household waste recycling sites – site rules and policies
Our sites only accept general household-type waste and recycling from residents own homes in East Sussex.
We cannot accept waste or recycling from businesses. For advice on business/trade waste disposal, see our page on Business and commercial waste.
You do not need to book a visit in advance to use our household waste recycling sites.
There are some restrictions on what types of vehicles are permitted.
Some types of waste will be charged for.
Not all household waste recycling sites accept the same materials for recycling or disposal. For details, check your local recycling site.
Charges for hardcore, soil, plasterboard, bonded asbestos and tyres
Residents have to pay to dispose of hardcore, soil, plasterboard, bonded asbestos and tyres at the household waste recycling sites. There is no charge to dispose of other types of waste at our sites. Card payment only.
Hardcore, soil, plasterboard, bonded asbestos and tyres are not classed as household waste and are expensive for the council to dispose of. The council does not have to accept this non-household waste for free. Around half of councils charge for these items. Applying charges allows us to continue accepting these waste types at the recycling sites. The charges cover the cost of waste disposal and operating the scheme, they are not to make profit.
Hardcore
- £4 per bag. Card payment only.
- Maximum bag size 55cm x 85cm (ie a standard rubble type sack)
- Bags part filled will be rounded up to each full bag for charging purposes. For example, two half-filled bags will be charged as one bag. A resident arriving with just one part filled bag will be charged the minimum charge of £4
- For loose loads, an equivalent number of bags will be estimated by site staff
- Charged £4 per item for formed concrete and ceramic bathroom ware e.g. toilets and sinks
- Includes (but is not limited to) stonework, sand, gravel, rock, clay, bricks, concrete blocks, paving slabs, tarmac, tiles and ceramic bathroom fittings
- Accepted at all sites.
Soil
- £4 per bag. Card payment only.
- Maximum bag size 55cm x 85cm (ie a standard rubble type sack)
- Bags part filled will be rounded up to each full bag for charging purposes. For example, two half-filled bags will be charged as one bag. A resident arriving with just one part filled bag will be charged the minimum charge of £4
- For loose loads, an equivalent number of bags will be estimated by site staff
- Accepted at all sites.
Plasterboard
- £4 per bag or sheet. Card payment only.
- Maximum bag size 55cm x 85cm (ie a standard rubble type sack)
- Maximum sheet size 1800mm x 900mm
- Bags part filled will be rounded up to each full bag for charging purposes. For example, two half-filled bags will be charged as one bag. Similarly, part sheets will be rounded up to each full sheet. A resident arriving with just one part filled bag or one part sheet will be charged the minimum charge of £4
- Includes plasterboard and plaster
- Accepted at Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hastings and Newhaven sites only.
Bonded Asbestos
- £6 per bag or sheet. Card payment only.
- Maximum bag size 55cm x 85cm (ie a standard rubble type sack)
- Maximum sheet size 1800mm x 900mm (6 foot by 3 foot)
- Bags part filled will be rounded up to each full bag for charging purposes. For example, two half-filled bags will be charged as one bag. Similarly, part sheets will be rounded up to each full sheet. A resident arriving with just one part filled bag or one part sheet will be charged the minimum charge of £6
- Only cement bonded asbestos is accepted. Asbestos tanks are not accepted.
- Limited to 6 bags or 4 sheets per calendar month, per household
- Accepted at Eastbourne, Hastings, Heathfield and Newhaven sites only
- Bonded asbestos brought to these sites must be double bagged and sealed, or wrapped in plastic and sealed.
- Staff will take a record of the resident’s name, address and vehicle registration so that the amounts brought to the sites can be monitored to help prevent abuse of the policy and ensure Council Tax payers money is not used to dispose of any trade waste.
- See the Health & Safety Executive website for specialist advice when handling asbestos.
- Do not break asbestos up yourself – as this will release harmful fibres into the atmosphere. We strongly advise you contact a licenced asbestos removal contractor instead.
Tyres
- £2 per tyre (or part tyre). Card payment only.
- Limited to 4 tyres per calendar month, per household
- Motorised vehicle tyres are charged for (not bicycle tyres)
- Accepted at Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Maresfield and Newhaven sites only.
The above waste types should not be mixed together.
Site staff’s decision is final.
Any one who does not pay the charges on site will be invoiced the disposal plus administration costs via Sussex Police's Operation Crackdown vehicle tracing scheme.
If you have large quantities of these types of waste, you can consider alternatives such as hiring a skip, buying a Hippo bag, or using a waste disposal company. Our sites are not designed to accept large quantities of these types of waste.
There will be no charges for residents to dispose of household wastes such as green garden waste, electricals, furniture, crockery, clay flowerpots, recycling and general waste.
The waste must be from your own home. Waste from traders/businesses is not accepted at any of our household waste recycling sites.
The waste can only be accepted at our sites if the work has been carried out/removed by the householder themselves.
Where residents use a contractor to do works at their property the contractor must arrange for the disposal of the waste either by arranging a skip hire or taking it to a licensed commercial waste facility (not a household waste recycling site). In the case of asbestos, contact the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association for details of contractors who can remove and dispose of all types of asbestos.
Vehicle restrictions
Vans
Vans are only permitted to use our sites on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Van drivers must bring photo ID (for example a driving licence) and one other form of ID such as a recent utility or Council Tax bill that contains your home address.
It is illegal to tip any trade/business waste at our sites. Tradesmen, professional gardeners, landlords and other businesses should take their waste to a licensed commercial waste facility instead and pay for its disposal.
Vans are subject to trade waste checks. All vans and the waste will be checked and driver and vehicle details will be recorded for monitoring and enforcement purposes. The following details will be taken:
- vehicle registration number
- driver’s name and address
- company name from vehicle livery
- waste type and quantity
- date and time of visit
Banned vehicles
You are not permitted to dispose of waste at our recycling sites if your vehicle:
- is 3500kg or more in weight (Gross Vehicle Weight). Useful information to identify your maximum gross vehicle weight [631.1 KB] [pdf].
- has a Luton, or box style body (such as a horse box) or cage body
- has a flatbed, tipper, dropside or similar body style
- is sign written containing matching waste types.
The above vehicles are not permitted at any site because they are too large and pose a danger to other site users. These vehicles do not fit in the parking spaces and their size is such that the driver may have difficulty seeing pedestrians particularly when reversing or turning. The health and safety of all site users is our top priority.
Hired vans
Hired vans are permitted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only so long as they meet the above conditions and the waste is from your own home and not of a commercial nature.
Height restrictions
All our recycling sites have height restriction barriers of 2 metres (6 feet, 6 inches). The barrier will only be opened for taller vehicles on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at all sites, so long as they meet the other site requirements.
The only exception is for Blue badge holders with taller vehicles who are permitted entrance on any day at any site (except Eastbourne), provided they meet the other site requirements (see Vehicle restrictions section above) and are able to show their Blue badge.
Why are there height barriers at the household waste recycling sites?
These measures are in place as part of our efforts to help prevent commercial waste from businesses entering the sites. This is often (although not always) brought to the sites in oversized vehicles such as vans. The household waste recycling sites are paid for by the Council Tax payer to dispose of waste from residents own homes. Businesses do not contribute to the household waste recycling sites through their business rates. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous traders try to access the sites to tip their business waste for free at the expense of the Council Tax payer. The sites are also not licensed to accept commercial waste.
The height barriers set at 2m (6 foot 6 inches) high prevent the majority of commercial vans from entering the sites. This height however, does not preclude the majority of domestic type vehicles (including most 4x4s).
Trailers
Trailers are permitted at all sites subject to the site specific length restrictions below.
- Hailsham, Hastings, Maresfield and Mountfield can accept trailers up to 1.2 metres (4 feet) in length.
- Crowborough, Eastbourne, Heathfield, Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford can accept trailers up to 1.8 metres (6 feet) in length.
- On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Hastings and Maresfield can accept trailers up to 1.8 metres (6 feet) and Eastbourne can accept trailers up to 2.4 metres (8 feet) in length.
(All measurements do not include the tow bar).
Horse boxes are not allowed at any of the sites.
Pedestrian and bicycle access
Some recycling sites offer pedestrian access for residents travelling to the sites on foot without a vehicle, for example if living nearby and are bringing a few small items by hand.
The following sites have a dedicated pedestrian entrance (please note there is no parking outside or near the site for oversize or other vehicles. It is therefore not permitted to park outside or near the site and bring waste into the site on foot):
- Crowborough
- Eastbourne
- Newhaven
- Seaford
The following sites allow pedestrian access via the main vehicle entrance so pedestrians should take extra care and beware of vehicles (please note there is no parking outside or near the site for oversize or other vehicles. It is therefore not permitted to park outside or near the site and bring waste into the site on foot):
- Hailsham
- Maresfield
The following sites do not allow pedestrian access due to the absence of a safe walking route:
- Hastings
- Heathfield
- Lewes
- Mountfield
The following sites allow access for residents arriving by bicycle (including with a bicycle trailer). All cyclists should dismount before entering the site for safety reasons:
- Crowborough (via pedestrian entrance)
- Eastbourne (via pedestrian entrance)
- Hailsham (via main entrance)
- Lewes (via main entrance)
- Maresfield (via main entrance)
- Newhaven (via pedestrian entrance)
- Seaford (via pedestrian entrance)
The following sites do not allow bicycle access due to safety reasons:
- Hastings
- Heathfield
- Mountfield
Items for sale in re-use shops
Our recycling sites have ‘re-use shops’ where preloved items are sold at a low-cost instead of being thrown away. If you want to buy or donate something, please ask the site staff. Opening hours and payment options vary at different sites.
All payments for items go to the site manager and proceeds go towards the running of our recycling sites. All sales are recorded for tax purposes and you should be offered a receipt if required for anything you buy.
Soil conditioner, made from green garden waste collected at the household waste recycling sites and from the kerbside collection schemes, is also available to buy at the sites. Card payments only.
Health and safety
The majority of accidents at our recycling sites involve people cutting themselves on their waste and recycling, or falling over. Cars and vehicles are another danger. Help prevent accidents by following these simple instructions:
- wear sturdy gloves to protect your hands
- wear suitable footwear
- dispose of your waste and recycling carefully
- don’t run or rush
- children and animals must stay in the vehicle at all times
- be aware of pedestrians and vehicles
- adhere to the speed limit and traffic signs
- fill your waste in liftable bags/containers
- large heavy bags like tonne bags or hippo bags cannot be used
- always follow staff instructions.
Site staff
Please treat the Veolia site staff with respect and follow the site rules. We take verbal and physical abuse of site staff very seriously and will support Veolia if their staff are abused by site users. We will also deal robustly with people who fly-tip waste or illegally tip trade waste at the recycling sites.
Residents with disabilities
If you have mobility problems and require assistance, please ask a member of site staff when you arrive. They will take your items and transfer them to the correct recycling containers for you if required.
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