Millbrook recycling centre to be exempt from charging scheme

Charges to be introduced by Hampshire County Council

Following a decision by Southampton City Council the Millbrook Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) will be excluded from a charging scheme that will be introduced by Hampshire County Council and will apply to all of their recycling centres. The decision ensures all of Southampton’s residents can continue to use the Millbrook facilities free of charge, maximising recycling rates.

Residents on the eastern side of the city, who use the Netley HWRC rather than Millbrook, will need to register with the scheme to ensure they have continued automatic free access. Residents in Southampton who intend to use any other recycling centre than Millbrook, outside of the city, will also need to register in order to avoid the charges.

Southampton residents can now sign up to an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to continue to dispose of waste for free at all Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs). Residents who do not sign up to the scheme will have to pay a £5 charge in order to dispose of waste at any Hampshire County Council recycling centre outside of Southampton. Residents can register up to three vehicles via the Hampshire County Council website. The system will quickly check the registration of the cars coming into the site against the number plates that have been registered so that Hampshire residents can freely enter the sites as many times as they wish, without any further checks. Residents will only need to register once, however details will need to be updated in line with any change of vehicle or if you move house.

The scheme has been introduced to ensure that people from outside of the HCC boundary who use Hampshire’s HWRCs can continue to do so, while making it fairer to Hampshire council taxpayers. Hampshire residents, including those who live in Southampton and Portsmouth, are now able to register for free access to any Hampshire HWRC. The charging scheme will go live on 1 August 2020. For residents without internet access, please call 0300 555 1389 to register.