Alton Town Partnership

The Alton Town Partnership oversees the delivery of the Alton Town Plan recommendations and also helps to develop Alton.
Please contact us by telephone at +44 (0) 1420 549684, by email:
or write to:- The Alton Town Partnership, 66 High Street, Alton, Hampshire. GU34 1ET. UK.

Recycling Information Page.


Recycling in our Area
East Hampshire District council - EHDC - our local council, is responsible for our recycling and waste collection. The good news is that EHDC has been awarded Beacon Council status for its waste, recycling and streetcare services. EHDC has been praised for its high recycling rate, viewing waste as a resource and encouraging strong community involvement.

We throw away so much waste in the UK. It would fill the Royal Albert Hall - once every single hour of the day. In 2007 the UK produced about 100m tons of waste. Of this domestic waste was 25.6m tons and 34% of this was recycled.
About one-third of the UK's waste is produced by construction and demolition, and a further third by mining and quarrying.

In 1999 the recycling rate for EHDC was 8%. By 2005/06, this had increased to an impressive 35%. This puts us at the top among councils in the UK for recycling. In 2006, over 250,000 tonnes of useful materials were brought back into industrial or other production. This is a reflection of the hard work and commitment that residents and EHDC have for improving our environment. EHDC overall is aiming for a 40% or greater recycling rate for domestic waste. As of June 2007, the recycling rate at Alton's Household Waste recycling centre is 72%.

It seems impossible at the moment to open the paper, or switch on the TV or radio, without hearing about Climate Change and Global Warming. Every item you recycle, every bit of packaging you refuse, every carrier bag you save, all helps reduce carbon emissions, thus reducing the effects of climate change.
The European Union five step waste reduction hierarchy is:- prevention > reuse > recycling > other recovery > incineration.

By thinking about your actions and changing your habits, you can make a huge difference. If you put a glass bottle in your landfill bin it will last for a million years but if you recycle it, it can find other uses in a few weeks. You will also save the energy needed to make fresh glass.

The full strategy for waste recycling in Hampshire can be found by clicking on this link http://www.mrs-hampshire.org.uk/index.html
Our main Household Waste Recycling Centre - HWRC in Alton is at Omega Park Industrial Estate, Wilsom Road, Alton.
Its opening hours are 1st April to 30th September 8am to 7pm, and 1st October to 31st March 8am to 4pm. Closed Christmas, Boxing and New Year's Day. Telephone 01420 542572. Here is a leaflet.


Why is it very, very important to recycle?
The more energy we use, the more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases escape into the atmosphere and the worse Global Warming will become.

Every item recycled, saves some of the energy cost associated with making it as a new item. Many of us automatically buy new and discard the old, whether or not it can be re-used. As global warming continues, the results will be increasingly devastating, with more unpredictable weather, encroaching deserts, extreme floods and droughts, new spreading diseases, severe forest fires and coral reef decline. Sea levels will rise by 5ft this century, caused by the melting of Polar perennial ice and mountain glaciers. Large parts of London and low lying land such as the Fens, Essex Marshes, Hull and North Kent will be flooded. Most current beaches will disappear. It is also thought that the sea will become too acid to support current levels of fish stocks. Current worldwide population levels will become unsustainable. Already if the current western standard of living were possible for all mankind, we would need three earths to support everybody. The longer we delay in reducing our production of greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide, the greater the economic cost to make corrections and live a good life will become. The opportunity to prepare for change is now before any further crisis develops.
The UK with about 1% of the world's population produces 2.3% of the world's carbon dioxide.
Even if the whole of Europe became super-green now it would not be enough to reverse the global trend. We need to encourage the developing world to be more efficient as well as demonstrating to China and other similar countries that it is possible to be green while still having a vibrant economy. Europe's collective role in combating climate change will ultimately be through us being exemplars to the rest of the world on how to be a successful low-carbon economy. We can also be able to provide them with the technology they will really need.

The full Stern report, a weighty document on the economics of climate change can be found by clicking on this link
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm
Here is a link to European Union Waste Legislation.
The results of the BBC sponsored multiple-PC,simulation on the effects of Global Warming are here on the BBC website.

As much as one can predict , here are some possible effects of global warming on Alton and its area.
  • We will experience more severe and damaging winds particularly at exposed locations.
  • There will be increased foundation failures from more extreme soil conditions.
  • Soil erosion will increase on badly managed farmland.
  • The railway and local roads will require increased maintenance. The A34 already has grooves in its surface from very hot summers softening the surface. (Spanish roads with a different formulation do not soften in summer.) Train speed limits to stop rail buckling are required in the summer.
  • Large engine car ownership will become socially unacceptable - like cigarette smoking is now. Electric cars will become more common.
  • Trading with, and investing in, green companies will become the normal choice for consumers.
  • Houses and other structures will be equipped with ubiquitous photoelectric and hot water solar panels.
  • Thefts from open windows and doors will increase in summer.
  • Air conditioning will be more frequently installed in UK homes.
  • There will be increased winter flooding on the River Wey and no flow in the summer. The Environment Agency's Floodline number is 0845 988 1188.
  • Rainfall will become less predictable. The usual patterns will be lost with patterns of extreme wet and drought.
  • Wildfires will become more common in dry periods.
  • House structure insurance will become more expensive and for some properties may be unobtainable.
  • Building regulations will specify very well insulated structures. High thermal mass and orientation to the sun will become more important in their design.
  • There will be more hosepipe bans. You will be required to fit a household water meter.
  • Portsmouth and other low lying areas will be completely under the sea. 55,000 homes in Hampshire are in river or sea flood risk areas.
  • Increased migration from other parts of UK and the rest of world.
  • Parts of the UK in Norfolk, Wales and Devon will be abandoned to the sea. 110,000 properties will be claimed by the wavesin the next 75 years.
  • Food will become relatively more expensive (up from about 10% household income to 25% by 2018). More common droughts and floods will reduce food production. Flooding need only be one inch deep to destroy hundreds of acres of crops.
  • Fish in particular will become very expensive.
  • Jellyfish such as the stinging Portuguese Man-of-War will dominate parts of our coastal waters.
  • Food poisoning will become more common.
  • Energy costs will also relatively increase more, as oil and gas become harder to find and extract.
  • Transport costs for goods will rise dramatically. This will reduce consumer choice with fewer varieties of goods available.
  • More windmills and watermills will produce electrical power.
  • Our usual native trees and plants will slowly die off and be replaced by warmer loving species eg eucalyptus, fig, sweet chestnuts, wild service trees, apricots, olives, maize, tea, palm trees, almonds, pecans, persimmons, bamboo, grapes and peaches. Blackcurrants and lavender will thrive.
  • Amongst others, our english oaks, horse chestnuts, ash and beech trees will increasingly struggle with drier, hotter summers.
  • Pests and diseases will more easily survive through milder winters eg oak decline and leaf miner in horse chestnut trees.
  • New diseases and pests will affect livestock, trees and agriculture crops. Bluetongue, an insect-borne viral disease of ruminants has recently arrived in the UK.
  • Bees, which are key participants in providing our food supply, will decline and suffer from more diseases and pests.
  • There will be an increased risk of summer forest fires.
  • UK holiday makers will stay in the UK and people will come to the UK to escape their local summer heat.
  • It never snows.
  • Your grass grows all year round!
  • Malaria, Lyme disease, plague and other diseases become established. Tick-borne encephalitis and dengue fever will increase.
  • Skin cancer rates will increase.
  • Heatstroke will be more likely for the old, very young and the ill.
  • Asthma and other breathing problems will become more prevalent because there will be more ozone in the air on sunny days.
  • Drier summers mean fewer wild mushrooms.
  • New career roles such as carbon footprint manager will rise in importance.

    Here is a link to the latest comprehensive, authorative climate change report predicting a 3 degree centigrade temperature rise from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and here is their April 2007 update.
    (Here is an excellent solution to global warming without using nuclear power. )


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    Items to put in Your Recycling Bin
    EHDC operates an alternate weekly kerbside recycling and refuse collection service from wheeled bins Only. This means collections take place fortnightly with the black recycling bin being collected one week and the green refuse bin the next. (Yes, it is illogical but black means recycle!) Reliance on landfill or incinerators is reduced. EHDC exceeds national recycling targets and thus protects council tax payers' pockets, by reducing the likelihood of EHDC having to pass on Government anti-pollution fines to the Council Tax payer.
    Here is a link to help you decide which bin to put out     http://www.easthants.gov.uk/ehdc/binsrota.nsf/SearchForm

    The lid on your refuse bin must be closed otherwise it will not be emptied. If the lid is not closed, the contractors will take out any bags necessary to close the lid, empty the bin, and then return the surplus bag(s) back into the bin.
    The standard green refuse and black recycling bins have a capacity of 240 litres which is sufficient for a family of up to five. Only one green refuse bin per property will be emptied unless authorisation has been given by the Council for families of six or in certain circumstances. You may have more than one recycling bin per household.

    Both recycling and refuse bins can be missed for a variety of reasons, please make sure:
    • Was your bin put out by 07:00am on your collection day?
    • Was it at the correct collection point?
    • Was the correct material in the bin?

    Recycling (Clean, Dry and Loose)
    Newspapers/magazines, catalogues and cardboard. Please take magazines out of their plastic wrappers.
    Steel and aluminium drink and food cans - just wash out briefly. (No need to put them in the dishwasher!)
    Plastic bottles (types 1 & 2 only) - either take the tops off or ideally loosen the top, squash the bottle and retighten the top.
       Of the 13 billion plastic bottles bought in the UK in 2006, just 2.7 billion were recycled.
       Five recycled plastic bottles make one extra large T-shirt.
    No other plastics and definitely no glass.
    No yellow pages - the glue, and print more than six months old does not recycle.
    No shredded paper - it clogs up the sorting equipment. Its ok in dedicated paper bins.
    No Polystyrene - too light to transport.
    No Tetra Pak drinks cartons - you can recycle them at the Winnall Tesco in Winchester if passing.
    No plastic bags - they clog up the machinery.
    No aluminium foil.

    Refuse - most goes to incineration in Hampshire.
    No stones or brick rubble
    No DIY material such as paint/chemicals or oil
    No hot ashes
    No commercial/industrial waste
    No poisonous or noxious waste
    No electrical products
    Please put Christmas wrap in your refuse bin - it is usually made of plastic film, foil or heavily printed low gradepaper along with sticky tape. Ideally try alternatives such as ribbons or decorative bags or boxes which can be used again.

    EHDC now in 2007 is collecting glass jars and bottles from home addresses on a monthly basis for free. Each household has been provided with a free recycling box for this kerbside collection. Glass can be mixed colours unlike the bottlebank collections which will still continue at the usual points. (Some wine bottles now have metal screw caps so remove these before recycling.) If a bottle bank is full, then telephone 01730 234295 to get it emptied.

    In the last 12 months, EHDC residents saved about 775 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions just by recycling their plastic bottles.

    The contents of your recycling bin are sent to the Materials Recovery Facility on the A31 just to the north of Alton. Plastic bottles end up as fleeces or black plastic pipes and gutters. Newspapers with 30% of magazines to provide the whitening clay needed, go to make more newspapers. Lower grade cardboard and paper make cardboard tubes. The lowest grade cardboard makes more cardboard boxes. Steel cans, removed by magnets, make a multitude of steel items. Aluminium cans make more drink cans. Both glass and aluminium can be recycled indefinitely. As both glass and aluminium require high energy input to make them from raw materials, recycling can make a large energy saving of up to 95%.

    Garden Waste is collected fortnightly as an additional Collection Service on your recycling collection day, for which there is an annual charge of £18 for the first sack and £9 for the second and subsequent sacks. To join this scheme, telephone 01730 234295.
    Here is a link to EHDC recycling tips and information.

    To efficiently compost at home, divide your compostable material into greens and browns.
    Examples of greens are fruit and vegetable peelings, apple cores, teabags, coffee grounds, grass cuttings and old flowers.
    Browns are dry hedge trimmings, twigs, torn up cardboard and paper, paper mache egg boxes, egg shells, tissues, toilet roll tubes, shredded paper, straw and hay.
    The ideal mix is roughly 50:50 of each by volume.

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    Items Recycled at the Alton Recycling Centre
    The following items can be recycled at the HWRC in Omega Park, Alton.

     In in doubt, please ask as the staff are very helpful and motivated.

    UK countrywide, only 15% of old mobile phones are recycled. Electronic equipment generates 915,000 tonnes of waste per annum - 43% comes from large household applances and 39% from IT equipment.

    The following hazardous waste items can be accepted at the Alton Recycling Centre. They are stored in dedicated lockable containers and then taken for specialist and safe disposal. This includes items such as white spirit, paint brush cleaner, hazardous paint products (those marked with black and orange hazard symbols), descalers, stain removers, drain cleaners, glues, photographic chemicals, oven cleaners and swimming pool cleaners. Also classified are garden products such as pesticides, insecticides, fungicides & weed killers and car maintenance products such as antifreeze, brake fluid, lubricants & degreasers. (Tyres are a problem.)
    Fire extinguishers are also classified as hazardous waste.

    Here is a list of glass recycling (and sometimes other recycling) banks in/around Alton:-

    AltonVictoria Road
    AltonLady Place Car Park
    AltonRaven Square
    AltonSainsbury's Car Park
    AltonSports Centre
    AltonTurk Street Car Park
    BentworthVillage Hall
    BinstedRecreation Ground
    Four MarksOak Green Shops
    FroyleVillage Hall
    MedsteadVillage Hall
    WieldVillage Hall


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    Where to Recycle Other Items
    Some examples of items to take to charity shops - and there is a wide choice of them in Alton!
    CDs, books, bric-a-brac, unbroken china, clothes, shoes, used computer printer cartridges - both inkjet and laser, tapes, hand tools, mobile phones, toys and vinyl records.
    Some charity shops, eg Oxfam take foreign coins and stamps.

    Other ideas
    Go and sell at a Boot Sale.
    Give spare items to friends and family (bit obvious!).
    Sell them on     eBay, swap them at iswap or offer them either on Recycle UK or Hampshire Freecycle.
    • Donate to a local jumble sale.
    • Organise a Bring and Buy sale for a worthy cause.
    • Aerosol cans can be put in Savacan Banks at supermarkets
    • Clothes given to the Salvation Army or Oxfam are never binned, they are sorted and a market found for them in some form somewhere.
    • Blankets and bed linen taken to a textile bank or the two charity shops above are recycled as roofing felt, furniture stuffing or industrial wipes.
    • Books taken to Oxfam Shops are resold, recycled as paper or shredded for animal bedding.
    • Burial at sea can be arranged by telephoning 01395 568652 or how about a woodland burial.
    • Broken china can be used as drainage in plant pots (or you could make a mosaic!).
    • Christmas cards can be taken to Post Offices, Tesco, WH Smith or Boots after Christmas. in 2006, two million were recycled.
    • Computers can be given to schools/charities but check that there is no personal data on any hard disks. Use a scrubber type program if necessary to erase it. (Just deleting is not really good enough). 75% of a PC's fossil fuel consumption has already happened before it is switched on. (For most electrical items it is 5%.) Logically every effort should be made to find a second user for it. Printers, Mice, Keyboards, Screens and spare software CDs with any access keys are also useful.
      (Each computer takes 240kg of fossil fuel, 22kg of chemicals and 1.5 tonnes of water to produce. For greener computing, make sure PCs and printers are turned off at night and especially weekends, set PCs to go on standby if say they haven’t been in use for five minutes, use technology to communicate instead of travel, print material only when necessary, and always try to print on both sides of the page.)
    • Cookers and furniture may be accepted by the Furniture Helpline on 01420 489000 and some charity shops.
    • St Lawrence's Church has a monthly furniture sale - contact 01420 88951.
    • If you are in the area, then Naomi House in Winchester will take small items of furniture.
    • Jam jars are refilled by the Women's Institute
    • A collection of aluminium cans can be sold for cash. Click on this link for further details. http://www.alupro.org.uk/cash%20for%20cans.htm. 750 million glass bottles/containers and 500 milliom cans were used over Christmas in 2005.
    • Plastic bags are reused by charity shops and some market stalls. They are now collected by major supermarkets. Ideally new bags would be charged for as in Lidl or in Ireland.
    • Buy and use a cotton calico Bag for Life at say the Alton Oxfam. Here is a link to an alternative.
    • Plastic containers can be used by schools and play groups.
    • Plastic vending cups sent to Save-A-Cup, telephone 01494 5101671 are made into pencils.
    • There are boxes to collect shoes in Alton High Street and outside Tesco in Four Marks.
    • Cut up old bicycle inner tubes to make rubber bands or use them as tree ties. They can also be used for stuffing gaps around windows and doors.
    • Cut the bottom from a milk container or plastic bottle and invert to make a funnel.
    • Pallets make excellent firewood, particularly in wood stoves. They are usually dry and well seasoned.
    • Alton College uses spare Meccano in its workshops.
    • Many schools welcome donations of outgrown Lego.
    • If an item is very old, consider donating it to a local museum.
    • Excess magazines can go to doctors or dentists surgeries.
    • Walking frames and crutches can go to nursing homes or hospitals.
    • Shredded paper can be used as animal bedding, packing for parcels or to help light a fire.
    • Spectacles taken to Boots are sent to the third World.
    • Teddy Bears can comfort children in hospitals.
    • Toys can go charity shops, doctors' surgeries and playgroups.
    • Take excess medicines and medicine containers back to your local dispensing chemist.
    More recycling ideas can be found at recycle more.

    Walking Access to the HWRC.
    Whilst walking waste into the HWRC is generally not encouraged at any recycling centre, a common sense approach should be applied. As sites generally do not have pedestrian access (pavements) leading into them, walking waste into the site is not advised for safety reasons due to large numbers of vehicles manoeuvring in a busy area. With the recent restriction on vans that was introduced in February to stop trade waste being illegally dumped, there is a need to stop banned vehicles parking up outside and bringing the waste in on foot instead.

    Clearly however, some residents do not wish to drive to a site as they live close enough, or do not have access to a vehicle they can use, and in these cases the site staff should permit access. Site staff can only advise against walking in and cannot physically stop anyone, and therefore users walking in do so at their own risk.
    Anyone who drives to the site is essentially walking in the site once they have left their vehicle. Both types of users are then in the same situation. Just take care when going through any entrances. Why are there no pavements leading in?

    If you cannot get bulky items to the HWRC then EHDC operates a chargeable collection service for bulky household items as they are not accepted in the wheeled bin service. Items must be placed out for collection at the boundary of your property.
    The prices for April 05 to March 06 for one of the following items are:
    £11.40 for one chair, table, mattress, radiator, vacuum cleaner, TV, bicycle, fence panel (x2), door or general single item.
    £13.40 for a Fridge or Freezer.
    £17.10 for a cooker, carpet (3x3m), washing machine or tumble dryer.
    £22.80 for a chest of draws, four chairs, wardrobe, boiler or up to 1 cu metre of material.
    £28.60 for a bed and mattress, bathroom suit or three piece suite.
    £40.00 for a piano or up to 2 cu metres of material.
    £57.10 for a shed, greenhouse (dismantled) or up to 3 cu metres of material.

    To arrange a collection send details of what is to be collected, your address & contact details and a cheque for the correct amount to: (If you require prior notification of collection please make this clear on your request). Please write to:- Veolia ES Onyx Ltd, Alton MRF, Farnham Road, Upper Froyle, Hampshire, GU34 4JD. Tel: 01962 764000 or telephone EHDC on 01730 234295.

    Please do not put asbestos in your refuse bin. The Bordon and Basingstoke recycling centres will take it.

    Liquid fuels including petrol, diesel and paraffin should be taken to a local garage or motor repair centre.

    From July 1st 2007, you will be able in theory to take old electrical equipment back to the retailer for recycling whenever you buy new.
    For more details go here.
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    Other environmentally friendly actions you can make.
    Concerned about Climate Change? Here are some simple changes you can make in your life. Each of these actions may make a small difference but if you used several of them then the benefits would add up. If many people used most of them then they would be a huge difference. You will also reduce your living costs.     Here is the local Winchester Action on Climate Change group, an entertaining green Petersfield site and here is another more political campaigning site.
    Ashton Hayes is aiming to be England's first carbon neutral village. The World Development Movement is very well informed.

    If not now - When? If not here - Where? If not me - Who?

    We have one earth and it will survive, but will we? There have been five mass extinctions since life began on earth. Our current lifestyle and its direction in the last 50 years is hastening the next. How many of us will survive? What will our life be like? How many other species will survive with us? They are an important part of the rich tapestry of life. We need to create the best political conditions and technology for our long term survival with truly sustainable businesses and communities which do not plunder the earth and change our environment for the worse.      One Climate - One future - One Chance.

    About 94% of the materials extracted for use in manufacturing durable products become waste before the product is manufactured. 80% of what we make is thrown away within six months of production. Paul Hawken,Natural Capitalism

    As far as we know, we are on the only place in the universe which can support complex life. We are here because of an amazing long series of coincidences. If we do discover another such earth existing somewhere else in the universe it will be so far away that our chance of visiting it is nil. We must take care of our spaceship home.

    Zero carbon living is scientifically urgent, economically inescapable and technically possible. It will require bold decision making and a shared sense of common purpose. It may involve a lower meat diet and more exercise. Both of these will have other beneficial effects. It may also curtail retail therapy, but given current levels of unsecured debt that may also be beneficial!

    Keep in mind the following sustainable principles:-
  • Only use resources which can be replaced or renewed.
  • Consume resources at a rate which is renewable.
  • Use only your fair share of any resource as an individual or region.
  • Do not generate more waste than natural processes can deal with.

    Some people deny the reality of climate change and others believe we are heading irrevocably on a downward path. Both beliefs are justifications for inaction. We can make a difference if we make changes now.

    To the usual hierarchy, Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle we can add Rethink.
    For example, when you go shopping remember to take bag(s) with you to reduce the number of number of one trip bags used.
    Remember to drive at 60mph to reduce petrol consumption.
    Think about the impact your next holiday will have on the environment.

    There is nothing in human nature that forces people to work 20 hours a day, to accumulate as many commodities as they can. That's an imposed lifestyle, which like any imposed lifestyle has some attractions, or people wouldn't accept it, but it certainly doesn't have to be the one that's followed. - Noam Chomsky

    If by living a greener lifestyle, you find you are more affluent, think carefully how you will spend the extra money. (Do you really need to fly on another holiday say?)
    The only future is a green future. For the sake of the next generation and future generations, we need to live in such a way that they can also live.
    Future conflicts will be over energy, food and water. If they say to us 'What did you do about climate change?' the answer we should give is that we worked to stop it - any other answer will be found to be unacceptable.


    Car Owners/Drivers are now responsible for the safe disposal of their car when it reaches the end of its life. Anyone just abandoning an old car can now be tracked down and punished. From 1st January 2007, the UK’s network of authorised treatment facilities will accept scrap cars free of charge according to certain conditions, for recycling. You can find your nearest treatment facility at www.autogreen.org or www.cartakeback.com

    Used plastic flower pot disposal in the UK is a total disaster. We use in excess of 500 million each year. They are recycled in some EU countries but in the UK?? Wyevale Garden Centres are currently collecting flowerpots for recycling. Here is a list of their garden centres.

    You can take empty TetraPaks if you are passing to
  • Tesco, Easton Lane, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 7RS.
  • Upper Hart Car Park, Long Garden Way, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7HX.
  • Dogflud Way, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7UD.
  • Whey Hill Car Park, Haslemere GU27 18N.

    • In EHDC - well forget it!!

    Research suggests there are 540 million surplus coat hangers in Britain. They weigh 17,000 tons. About 100 million are landfilled each year.
    They take more than 100 years to degrade. Marks and Spencer will take them back and either reuse them or recycle them. All metal, flimsy hangers are best recycled in the steel skip at Alton HWRC.
    We need a way to collect other types of plastic for reycling above what is now recycled.
    If you have more than 500Kg ie half a ton of any type of plastic, then CK Polymers will fetch it.

    Some councils, but not EHDC collect broken window glass for recycling. It is heavy and can cut you, takes a lot of energy to produce and lasts in the ground almost indefinitely.

    Modbury in Devon is the first UK community to ban plastic bags in all its 43 shops. It has been followed by Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire and Overton in Hampshire.
    Both Sainsbury's and Tesco now have bag for life schemes. The bag is more solidly made than the usual give away bags. If it wears out, then it will be replaced for free. Usually they cost 10p. Stores in the UK hand out 13 billion bags a year. Most are used for just one trip.

    If you have any other ideas about recycling or reducing global warming and its effects, please contact us.


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    Fly-tipping
    As landfill taxes increase we can sadly, realistically expect more fly-tipping in our area.
    The UK wide official figures show an increase from 926,000 incidents in 2004/05 to 2.6 million in 2005/06.

    In 2007 in Hampshire there were in excess of 48,000 fly tipping incidents. As they are increasing by 5% per year we can expect in excess of 50,000 in 2008. At a conservative £80 to clean up each one, this is a clean up cost of £4,000,000 this year. This is money that could more usefully be spent elsewhere. Hampshire CC sets the rules at Recycling Centres but EHDC for us in Alton and district, bears the clean up cost. Every effort should be made to discourage fly tipping.

    Originally from February 14th 2008, trailers over 6ft by 4ft in size were banned from all HWRCs in Hampshire including the site at Omega Park in Alton. In a climb down and after considerable protest Hampshire County Council has now changed its mind.
    Its announcement says that it has become apparent that, whilst assisting in addressing the issue of trade waste, it has also inadvertently impacted on the use of the sites by some householders. As a result, the County Council has reviewed this part of its trade waste control policy and has decided, at the end of April ahead of the forthcoming formal policy review, to an immediate relaxation of this restriction for trailers longer than 1.8m, to allow those up to a maximum of 3.0m (approx 10ft) to visit HWRCs.
    After registration, you can now take household waste which is big, for example a double mattress or bed, a three seater sofa or large fridge by using a trailer which is say 8ft by 4ft to more easily take it to the recycling centre instead of squashing it into the back of your car or hiring a van at your own expense. Heavy items such as lawnmowers, filing cabinets and exercise machines or dirty and dusty items such as a fence panels or old garden furniture can now also more easily be taken to the HWRC.

    The County Council will introduce a permit system for trailers above 1.8m and less than 3.0m in length . The new system will work in the same way as the one that has recently been introduced for householders who only have access to a commercial vehicle. Like van users, the permit will allow for up to 12 visits to any HWRC in a calendar year using a trailer of the specified size. The County Council say they had previously committed to fully reviewing the impact of the new policies, so they hope householders will be pleased that we have proactively responded to the issues they have raised regarding this issue. (Maybe they should listen in the first place.) They say that this new system will allow you, as a householder, to continue to access sites, whilst enabling them at HCC to continue to monitor and tackle trade waste abuse to improve the overall service. Please accept HCC's apologies however for any inconvenience that the previous restrictions may have caused you.
    The HCC contact point is by telephone at 0845 603 5634 or email at waste.removethismanagement at hants.gov.uk
    Ideally in the future, the price of an item will include an allowance for its final disposal.

    Fly-tipping pollutes our countryside, looks totally unsightly and threatens wildlife. Fly-tipped rubbish attracts more tipped rubbish. In England, there are roughly two fly-tipping incidents every minute ie a plenty.

    Fly-tipping cost the UK £150m for the year in 2006. Over the three years 2004-6 it has cost a total of £201m and it is rapidly increasing. Duty of Care regulations state that if you use outside help, the rubbish must be removed by a licensed carrier (or you receive a maximum £50,000 fine.) Fly-tip it yourself and you are also responsible. Here is the list of     registered carriers.

    Report fly-tipping on this free telephone number - 0800 807060.
    The local EHDC fly-tipping contact is Linda Horne on 01730 234295.

    More information can be found here at the CPRE website.. There is also a very useful leaflet (in pdf format) to download there.
    Another useful source is here.

    One chewing gum portion costs 3p. If stuck on a pavement it costs 10p to clear it up.
    The fine for an overfilled wheelie bin in some parts of the country is £110. The fine for littering is £75. Chuck it on the pavement?
    A moving car window is a free, unlimited size waste bin. It never needs cleaning.




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    Excess Packaging
    Cucumbers will in future be delivered to the Co-op without shrink wrapping. This will save eight tons of plastic every year.
    How about not marketing tubes of toothpaste in cardboard boxes? What do you do with the box?
    Why are mince pies put in a aluminium dishes, then a silvered tray, then plastic wrapped and then put in a box?
    Retail packaging at 4.5 million tons makes up typically 16% of the UK's waste mountain every year.

    If you think an item is packaged to excess, then either telephone Hampshire trading standards on 0845 603 0081 or email them on

    Here is a     relevant article.


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    East Hants District Council sustainable communities essential factors
    Communities are involved and participate in decision making.
    Everyone, including disadvantaged groups, has access to facilities, services and opportunities.
    Education and lifelong learning is encouraged and promoted.
    The economy is vibrant and people have access to work.
    Needs are met locally.
    The factors causing ill health, such as poverty, safety, diet, lifestyle and pollution are minimised.
    There is an adequate supply of good quality housing and social care.
    The use of resources, energy, land and the production of waste is minimised.
    Pollution of air, water and land is minimised.
    Wildlife and natural habitats are protected and enhanced.
    Heritage and local identity is protected and enhanced.
    Good public transport is available that encourages less use of the car.
    The fear and occurrence of crime is low.




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    Last Change - September 2008

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