Council’s festive waste appeal

Hartlepool Borough Council is calling on them to maximise their use of the range of recycling and other disposal services it offers.

And officials are particularly keen to ensure that the rise in the amount of waste generated at this time of year does not lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

The good news is there will be no changes to household refuse/recycling collections over the Christmas/New Year period, and residents are asked to dispose of waste in their grey and green domestic wheeled bins in the first instance. This is a very busy time for our waste crews and it is important that bins are not overfilled and that the lids are shut when bins are put out for collection. Overfilled bins with raised lids can pose a health and safety risk to refuse collection staff by obscuring their view of the machinery on a bin wagon. As in previous years, side waste will also not be accepted so we ask that this is not left out on collection day.  

Excess waste can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Burn Road which offers a range of recycling options. It will be open Wednesday-Sunday (9am-12pm, 1-4pm) with the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. It will also be open on Tuesday 3rd January 2023. Appointments must be booked in advance online at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/HWRCbookings or by calling (01429) 523333. More information about recycling is available at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/recycle

Kieran Bostock, the Council’s Assistant Director – Place Management, said: “The crews will be working exceptionally hard to collect waste over the festive holidays. We ask residents to assist in this process by not overfilling bins or leaving additional waste in the street. If you book an appointment at our recycling centre please ensure that you keep it or inform us that you don’t need it so that it can be reallocated to someone else.”

Real Christmas trees will be accepted at the HWRC from 28th December (appointment required in the usual way) and the Council will be offering a collection service from Tuesday 10th January. Collection slots which will be allocated on a first come-first served basis, can be booked online at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/collectmytree or by calling (01429) 523333.

Residents are also reminded that they have a legal duty of care to ensure that any private waste carrier they employ to dispose of waste is properly licensed with the Environment Agency. Licence checks can be made at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers Failure to discharge this duty of care could lead to £250 fixed penalty notice.

The reminder reflects that Council’s on-going campaign to clampdown on fly-tipping across the Borough.

Ian Harrison who chairs the authority’s Fly-Tipping Group which includes representatives of a number of agencies and local environmental groups, said: “Your waste is your responsibility and if you are paying for someone to take it away, you must ensure that they will be disposing of it legally. We believe a large amount of Hartlepool’s fly tipping is caused by unlicensed companies making a profit by dumping other people’s household waste.” 

He urged anyone with information about fly-tipping to report it by calling the Council’s fly tip-off hotline on (01429) 523333 or at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/fly-tipping

We wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and be sure to give our crews a friendly wave as they pass by over Christmas.