A RESIDENT dumped his household rubbish at Redditch Town hall to protest against what he calls ‘ridiculous’ rules regarding waste disposal.
Steve Determann recently visited Redditch Household Waste and Recycling Site to dispose of his household rubbish.
He said was refused entry to the site, operated by Worcestershire County Council, because his vehicle, a van converted into a camper van, was classed as a commercial vehicle.
Steve Determann dumps his rubbish. Picture by Marcus Mingins 2423016MMR2 www.buyphotos247.com
He explained he was actually driving his ‘fully-furnished camper van’, which are allowed to use household recycling centres, but was still told he could not dispose of his rubbish.
One of the issues is rules brought in by the DVLA in 2020 which make it much more difficult to reclassify a converted van to get it listed as ‘campervan’ on the V5 logbook.
Steve splits his time between Redditch and Scotland, and faced a similar problem up in Edinburgh, but said the issue was resolved quickly.
“I got to the tip and they said the same thing, that commercial vehicles can’t use the centre, but then when I explained its a converted caravan and they inspected it I was let through.
Steve Determann dumps his rubbish. Picture by Marcus Mingins 2423016MMR4 www.buyphotos247.com
“I can’t understand why Worcestershire County Council is making it so difficult for me to properly dispose of my rubbish.
“If they simply looked inside the van, they would see it wasn’t a commercial vehicle.
“It’s their own stubbornness and laziness that has caused this entire situation.”
This morning, Steve took that rubbish to the Town Hall and dumped it in reception.
He said: “It’s ridiculous. What do they expect me to do with my rubbish?
“I want to dispose of it properly but because of a licensing discrepancy I wasn’t even allowed to enter the centre.
“I explained the situation but was repeatedly told ‘no’. What is the point in asking people to recycle their waste correctly if they won’t let people in the centres to do so.”
Campervan 1
Steve Determann dumps his rubbish. Picture by Marcus Mingins 2423016MMR1 www.buyphotos247.com
Police were called to the protest yesterday and his rubbish was swiftly cleared up.
Steve added: “How much money and manpower are the council and the police going to spend on a non-issue.
“The City of Edinburgh Council has shown people are able to judge to situation for themselves, so why can’t people in Redditch do the same?”
A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said: “Visitors to our Household Recycling Centres who have a commercial type vehicle require a permit to dispose of their waste, and we ask for specific requirements to be met before awarding a permit.
“As far as we are aware, Mr Determann hasn’t applied for a permit, as a permit was not provided, access to the Household Recycling Centre was not allowed.
“We understand that when Mr Determann visited the Household Recycling Centre he was informed what he needed to do to obtain a Commercial Vehicle or Trailer Permit.”
Redditch Borough Council Deputy Chief Executive Sue Hanley said: “An incident in Town Hall reception required the police to be called.
“Behaviour that affects the safety of our staff and customers cannot and will not be tolerated.
“It appears to have been over a member of the public’s disagreement with county council services regarding access to Redditch Household Recycling Centre.
“Of course everyone is always responsible for properly disposing their own waste and enforcement action has already started over this illegal fly-tipping.”
