New Online Recycling Centre Permits: Your Questions Answered

Answers to frequently asked questions about our new online recycling centre permits, and how they work.

What's Changing?

We have introduced a new online registration scheme, replacing paper permits issued to residents for access to our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) at Newtown Road in Newbury and Padworth Lane in Padworth.

We opened up registration to residents on the new digital permits for Household Waste Recycling Centres via the Council's My Account service. Since then we have continued to accept old paper permits and proof of West Berkshire address for entry. From the 28 February 2022, your vehicles must be registered for an online permit to gain access.

Each household can register up to 3 Cars, as set out in our Icon for pdf HWRC User Guide [2MB] , as well as managing changes to the details registered for the permit.

Non-residents and our temporary one day pass permits are not affected by this change.

Who needs to register?

Any West Berkshire household who has household waste to recycle or dispose of at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) needs to register for an Online Permit by the 28 February 2022.

You are not allowed to recycle or dispose of commercial, trade or business waste at either of our HWRCs.

Non residents cannot register for a permit.

Why are you changing from paper permits to online registration?

The online system enables households to register and update their vehicle, address and contact details instantly, allowing for seamless entry to our Household Waste Recycling Centres, so long as they have booked an appointment.

During the registration process we will check the vehicle registrations you have provided with the DVLA, to make sure you register for the correct type of permit. We only provide your vehicle registration number with the DVLA, we do not share your personal information with them.

Moving to an online permit system also means that we do not need to print and post over 65,000 permits to replace those that have, or are soon to, expire. Nor will we need to print and post up to 3,000 additional permits for new properties or lost permits every year, which means we are reducing the amount of paper printed by the Council.

The few residents who only have access to a Commercial Type Vehicle will still need to apply for a permit before they can visit. You can find out more about our Commercial Type Vehicle online permits, here.

Are the rules around the permit system changing?

We are not changing the rules around what type of vehicles can access our Household Waste Recycling Centres or what type of waste can be disposed of.

We will still only accept Household Waste.

Car permits will need to be updated or confirmed at least once over a 3 year period to stay valid. We will send annual reminders to make sure you keep your information up to date.

Commercial Type Vehicle permits will expire after 1 year, but can be renewed easily online.

How will you know if my vehicle is registered?

Padworth and Newbury Household Waste Recycling Centres have Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras that automatically read your vehicle number plate when you enter the site. This lets site staff know if your vehicle has, or has not, been registered. If you haven't registered, site staff will stop to see if they can help you.

You will not be provided with a physical permit.

How many vehicles can I register?

Each household can register up to three cars.

If the only vehicle you have registered at your address for which you pay council tax to West Berkshire Council is a restricted vehicle (as described in our Icon for pdf Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) User Guide [2MB] ), and you have no suitable alternative mode of transport for taking your household waste to a HWRC, you can register one Commercial Type Vehicle instead.

I currently have a Commercial Type Vehicle permit, do I need to register online?

Yes, you will need to register online via My Account to access our Household Waste Recycling Centres, even if your paper permit is valid past the 28 February 2022.

We have contacted all current Commercial Type Vehicle permit holders advising them of the requirement to register. During the registration process you will still need to provide additional information, such as photos of both inside pages of your V5 (log book) as well as proof of address.

What if I change or sell my car or move house, do I need to register again?

If you sell or buy a new car or move home within West Berkshire, you will simply need to log into your My Account and update your vehicle or address details. We would advise you to do this ahead of your next visit to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.

If you move outside of West Berkshire please cancel your permit via My Account.

When will the online registration scheme begin?

West Berkshire households will be able to register online from 30 November 2021. Paper permits, including green car permits that have already expired, will continue to be accepted until 28 February 2022.

From 28 February 2022, cars and Commercial Type Vehicles accessing the recycling centres must be registered online and paper permits will no longer be accepted.

Will I be refused access to the recycling centres if my car is not registered?

No, but your visit will be impacted after 28 February 2022, as you will need to complete the online registration process prior to being able to use the site.

There will be a limited space to 'pull over' and complete the registration on your own smart phone/device at both Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Site staff will be unable to assist you in completing your registration, and they will need to see confirmation that your registration was successful before you are able to use the site.

If you are unable to complete registration on site, you will need to leave without depositing your waste.

Will I be refused access to the recycling centres if my Commercial Type Vehicle is not registered?

You will still be able to access our Household Waste Recycling Centres if you have a valid paper permit up to 28 February 2022.

If you do not have a valid paper permit, you will need to complete an application via My Account and provide the relevant supporting information for assessment. This can take up to 15 working days.

You may be able to make use of our temporary one day pass while you are waiting for your application to be approved.

How do I subscribe if I don't have Internet access at home?

If you do not have your own Internet access, a smartphone or any friends or family members who can help you, you can call customer services on 01635 519080 and one of our officers can assist.

Please be aware that it may take up to 15 working days following receipt of your request for assistance to set up your permit.

Please note that our phone lines are very busy at this time and we would prefer to prioritise helping vulnerable residents.

Residents are kindly requested to only call if they cannot do it online or do not have a friend or family member who can assist them.

I don't have an email address, can I still register, amend and close my permit?

You will need a My Account to be able to register, amend and close your permit online. If you do not have an email address, you can easily create one.

Details of some popular free email accounts, including how to set these up, can be found by clicking on the links below:

You can also find useful information on how to set up an email account, along with other email essentials on the Age UK website.

You can find information on how to deal with unwanted emails, known as "spam", on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

If you do not have, or want, an email address, you can call customer services on 01635 519080, and one of our officers can assist you. Please be aware that it may take up to 15 working days following receipt of your request for assistance to set up your permit.

Please note that our phone lines are very busy at this time and we would prefer to prioritise helping vulnerable residents.

How do I register a permit for a friend or family member?

If you are kindly registering a permit for a friend or family members household, you will need to create a My Account with an email address.

You can only have one My Account per email address.

If you wish for us to contact your friend or family member going forward, please include their contact details during registration. You do not need to provide an email address. The contact details against the permit do not affect the contact details registered against your My Account.

How will site staff assist me registering for a permit?

Site staff will be able to provide you with a guide on how to register for a permit, as well as a safe place to 'pull over' on site for you to register on your mobile device.

We advise that you register for your Online Permit before your next visit to either of our Household Waste Recycling Centres.

How will you use my personal information?

During the registration process we will collect personal information for the purpose of confirming that you are a West Berkshire resident. We will also use the vehicle registration number(s) you provide to us to verify the vehicle type with the DVLA, to make sure that we issue you the correct type of permit.

This information will be held in a secure manner. We won't use your information for any other purpose without your permission. We won't hold it longer than we need to.

We will treat any personal information by which you can be identified (ie name, address, email etc) in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.

You can view our Privacy Notice here.

How will you make sure my information stays up to date?

We will email you around every 12 months to remind you to update your details, to make sure you don't have any issues accessing our Household Waste Recycling Centres when you visit. If after 3 years you haven't updated your details we will ask you to confirm that they haven't changed via your My Account. Failure to do so will result in your permit registration being withdrawn.

Commercial Type Vehicle permits will now expire after 1 year, rather than 2. However if your details do not change you will be able to easily extend the permit for a further year via your My Account.

We may contact you to ensure that the details you have provided are correct, and we may withdraw your permit at any time without notice if we are not satisfied with the information you have provided.

Why can't you find or confirm my vehicle type?

The DVLA doesn't always hold data on the type of vehicle registered to a vehicle registration mark, particularly if the vehicle is more than 20 years old.

If we advise you that we can't verify the type of your vehicle (M1 passenger, N1 light goods) during the registration process, we will ask you to tell us what type of vehicle it is before we verify your answer by undertaking some further checks. Please refer to our Icon for pdf Household Waste Recycling Centres - User Guide [2MB] before selecting the vehicle type.

It may take us up to 15 working days to complete this process.

The form states that vehicles are already registered at my address - why, and what do I do?

While completing your registration, if a message appears stating:

'The address you have entered already has an active Recycling Centre permit.
Please check with members of your household before proceeding, as continuing with this registration will replace the current information held against this property.
If your household needs to update or change the information held against your permit please sign in to the My Account used to register for your households permit.
If you have recently moved into the property please continue.'

This means that a vehicle(s) is already registered at the address you have selected. Please check with the other members of your household to make sure that they haven't already registered before you continue.

If you have recently moved into your address the vehicles may belong to the previous occupier.

If you are certain that you are ok to continue, please do. The registration information that you have inputted will override the current permit information at the property.

The previous occupier will be notified by email that their permit has been closed.

I have received an email stating that my permit has closed. What should I do?

Check if anyone else at your property has opened a My Account and registered any vehicles. If they have, ensure all vehicles (maximum of 3) at the property are on that account. No further action is required. If you have moved house you will need to update My Account (see FAQ above).

If this is not the case, check if you have received any emails (check the Junk Mail) requesting if additional information needs to be supplied to support your application.

My vehicle has foreign plates, can I register to access the Household Waste Recycling Centres?

No, you can't register your vehicle if it has foreign plates.

If the only vehicle you have access to has foreign plates and you are a resident of West Berkshire, please contact us on 01635 519080 or by email at recycle@westberks.gov.uk for further assistance.

I added a vehicle to my permit and my permit is no longer showing in My Account. It states: 'Online Recycling Centre Permit application awaiting approval'. What's happened?

This happens when you add a vehicle that we are unable to verify the vehicle type for, because the DVLA do not have this information.

We will confirm this as soon as possible and, if approved, your permit will show again.

However, you will not be able to visit our recycling centres until we have approved the permit. If we reject the new vehicle, the permit will be closed and you will need to re-register any car you had registered previously.