I know this has been written about a few times but the EA's website seems to differ from what people have written here in the past.
I've just started a gardening business and would like to carry away garden waste from customers' homes. There is a tool on the EA website to determine if I needed to have a waste licence. However, it ends with a pop-up window stating I don't need to register until January 2014. But judging from the experience of others and the fact that I've been asked twice to produce my certificate, I thought it best to get one anyway.
I applied for the upper tier carrier as I couldn't find any info on their website to clarify which tier I needed, and presumed a free licence wouldn't get me anywhere. So I paid £154 and got my piece of paper.
Now, according to threads on here, a lower tier is adequate and I found a link to a PDF explaining the difference but access to this seems to have been removed from the EA site. I contacted the EA who confirmed this. Since I believed they had misled me, I asked for a refund. They declined because they said I didn't even need a licence until Jan 14. So a mini-battle is occurring.
They also informed me I could take the waste to any site, including my local tip. However, my two nearest tips said it was for domestic waste only, not trade waste. So do I need to take it elsewhere and probably pay more money?
Finally, even with lower/upper tier, do I need to have a waste transfer note?
As a fledgling business, I can ill-afford these payments and the EA site is typical of many government sites that are hopelessly confusing to mere mortals.
Any advice gratefully received.
Rob
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Replies
you are deffo better of just getting the upper tier one its £154 for 3 years thats less than £1 per week, one day someone may ask you to take something away that doesnt come under the lower tier, also some waste sites will not let you in if you dont have a licence
phil
Good point. I'm still slightly unsure about where I can take any waste. Local sites don't like trade waste but will turn a blind eye as long as you've got a permit for a commercial-style vehicle and don't make more than 12 visits in 12 months.
The only other option is commercial sites where, I guess, they will charge.
where abouts are you based? i think all commercial sites charge but you just add this to the customers final bill.
phil
Eastleigh, Hampshire
you have got raymond brown at barton stacey, very cheap for tipping soil and hardcore, violia(think thats how its spelt)at sutton scotney, green waste only, not to far from you, both places you will need a waste licence or they will not let you tip
phil
Thanks, Phil.
Hi Rob,
You have to pay to take trade waste, and have to have a licence. Simple facts, and it's a charge you need to include in your terms.
I have a clause that says I remove all garden waste included in my price. My waste licence doesn't allow me to take non-green waste, and I have to pay significant costs, so I have to charge extra if people want me to remove their old Christmas tree or something. Why should I do it for free?
You need a lower-tier licence if you are transporting green waste only. Personally, the tip I use only accept green waste, so anything else is a real pain and I'm happy that the EA make it easy for me. Currently there is a glitch in the application. You need to apply for agricultural waste only, on the lower tier, and that gives you the full licence for no cost.
think you may be wrong about the agricultural waste only, as if you apply for this licence then you can only carry waste for so many miles and work in a close radius of your business, for the sake of £154 for 3 years it just gives you a piece of mind that if you do get pulled over then its there if you need to show it.
phil
forgot to say why should you need to charge extra for removal of xmas tree as that is green waste
phil
Because if I take away something not included in my regular contract I have to pay for it, so why should it not be passed on?
We do ourselves down here. The client must appreciate we pay by weight, and transport by volume, so any waste is a cost to us that MUST be passed on
. It's mad to take someone's rubbish to the tip for them, when we have to pay to do it, unless they pay the full cost of time and tipping costs. I don't have a chipper, so a couple of Christmas trees fill the van up at my expense.
The agricultural category is the way the EA have said you need to apply for a licence if you need as lower-tier one immediately. You need one to carry waste and to get in to trade waste sites, but at present the lower-tier free licence is bugged on the website. As you say, there are restrictions on what you can carry under the free licence, but I think it suits the OP's needs perfectly well, and why should he pay for something he can get for free?
phil smith yewtreelandscapes.com said:
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