Van discrimination (Stockton Council)

[thehangmen]

A trip in a privately owned Transit (c/w private use insurance docs on board) to the household waste tip with an item of household furniture (that the council won't remove because it's too large, and is therefore too large to go in a car) has got my council tax paying blood boiling.

Since its too large for them to transport away, I'm in the fortunate position of being able to offer up my vehicle and time to do it for them.
I arrived on the site, drove up to the tipping area and struggled the item out of the back doors and onto the ground - single handedly whilst the staff looked on.
Asking where it should go I was asked 'what is it made of?'.
'Metal and plastic and wood' was the answer.
'You can't tip it here' I was then told.
Why not? 'You need a permit for the van'.
Why? 'No permit we can't let you tip here'.
Permits from where then, and how? 'During normal office hours mon-friday from [a town 10 miles away].''What's the point of that?' I asked - 'Company Policy' I was told as they walked away leaving me to struggle the item back on board and back home with it I went - after contempleting coming back after dark and dumping it by the gate - after all I wouldn't be entering the site in a van then would I?

Fortunately I do have another vehicle so I smashed it up a bit and rammed the bits into it, damaging paintwork and upholstery in the process and returned to the site where I took up the argument again.
Apparently it's to stop people tipping business waste, okay I said why don't you just have a look in the back of vans at your gatehouse?
'You need a permit'.
Ok I get a permit and tip some business waste anyway.
'We don't make the rules'.
No, but I pay my council taxes and therefore fund your wages.
'Ring head office'.

Rang their head office and asked why they discriminated against van owners, but not for example people with trailers.
Recounting the previous day hassle, I learned that permits can be issued on site at their discretion and when it suits the staff there, ie on a weekend when they are keen to get everyone in and out again.
Obviously a min-bus on private use insurance with a part customised interior bearing an item of furniture is a bit iffy as to wether they are letting someone with a commercial purpose wriggle out of a few quid in business waste disposal charges.

Anyone else come across this farcical discrimination against the vehicle you drive by the people who take your taxes?
Or is it just Stockton Clouncil being their usual arseful, awkward, anything-to-waste-money-&-time and make everthing as difficult as possible selves???

[AndyG]

It's all of them mate

It depends on who you know, not what you know

They'd rather you fly tip it, so that it costs thousands to clear it

There is some very mentally sick people in the councils

Where do they think it goes, if you can't tip it legally

They wanted to weigh my van in and out, and charge me accordingly with a minimum charge

[rover]

It is all of them, but its not law!

They cannot stop a private vehicle of ANY size (assuming it will go through the gate) from dumping household goods, i know this because I had exactly the same argument with my local tip when dumping a fridge and a load of old computer bits..

The staff refused to open the barrier for me (6ft height restriction), so I refused to move, there was a queue building up behind me and people were starting to get very impatient with me and the council staff, I told them to call the police as I was not moving until I had dumped the waste I was carrying, the police turned up and they had to move the barrier to let everyone else get by me, the police called the council office and had someone come out to the tip.... He was furious with the staff, as you can all see it clearly says 'Mobile Mechanic' on my van, and I was getting rid of a fridge etc.. I was allowed to tip the stuff I had in the van and the staff were left looking completely stupid, its pretty obvious that if a builder turns up with a load of bricks its 'industrial waste' and the staff dont need to be members of MENSA to work it out, they are just bloody minded!

Never give in to these 'Little Hitler's'

Rover.

[MarkM]

I have had the same problem the difference is that I have a permit, as soon as the council tip worker sees a van they come running...(no really ) but since I show the permit they get all disheartened and sulk, they do attempt to say whatever I am tipping is not household....sorry guys but if it came out of my house/garage/garden it is household. I dumped an old bulkhead for a Transit a short while ago and I have dumped all kinds of stuff but I am ready for the row but as I don't visit the tip very often I must have some kind of 'look' about me that now says leave me alone
My council got roasted in the local papers as it had a height barrier that was put in to stop commercial vehicles but had the side effect of also stopping 4x4's so they had to remove the barrier, also the permit scheme put paid to most all of the arguements. The only time I have had to pay at a tip was when I borrowed a Luton van from my works (all sign written with courier information on the doors and sides) and was dumping the cut down conifers from a friends garden...and they said it was commercial waste...ok so we all know that courier vans deliver cut down conifers and conifers are sent via parcels ???? idiots ...if it had said landscaping on the side they would have had a point but come on!

[madmark]

i hate going to the tip its one of my pet hates. why is it with my local tip its more of a shop shurly that cant be write by law???? there is tellys ,stereo,s fish tanks you name it its for sale ! ,if they do ever refuse me it will end up outside there gate at night anyway so its in there intrest to take the stuff!

[thequadsquad]

Its the same every where,we've got several tips local to us, one i've been told i use to much they say they will now use their discrection in letting me in any more when you have a van, people are always asking you to dump stuff another one i'm banned for life, turned up a couple of years ago in one of our works vans with a mate, to dump some mini conifers from his garden, we're up on the walkway when one of the blakey's comes over, saying you can't dump commercial waste says we're landscape gardners, theres a bit of a row and then my mate (who suffers from short bloke syndrome) halfs picks this bloke up and chucks him in the garden refuse bin theres a bit of a scuffle and we are ejected from the site, thought i was going to lose my job council took reg, but nothing serious ever came of it (i'll remember the blokes face, as he stared up covered in wet grass and dirt for ever )

[MrMPuk]

I used to have this problem, till I saw all the guys from the tip out on what must have been there christmas do. One round of drinks later and I might as well work there!

[thehangmen]

Round of applause! Hope to get that chance myself then, sounds like a hoot!

It is all of them, but its not law!

They cannot stop a private vehicle of ANY size (assuming it will go through the gate) from dumping household goods, i know this because I had exactly the same argument with my local tip when dumping a fridge and a load of old computer bits..

The staff refused to open the barrier for me (6ft height restriction), so I refused to move, there was a queue building up behind me and people were starting to get very impatient with me and the council staff, I told them to call the police as I was not moving until I had dumped the waste I was carrying, the police turned up and they had to move the barrier to let everyone else get by me, the police called the council office and had someone come out to the tip.... He was furious with the staff, as you can all see it clearly says 'Mobile Mechanic' on my van, and I was getting rid of a fridge etc.. I was allowed to tip the stuff I had in the van and the staff were left looking completely stupid, its pretty obvious that if a builder turns up with a load of bricks its 'industrial waste' and the staff dont need to be members of MENSA to work it out, they are just bloody minded!

Never give in to these 'Little Hitler's'

Rover.

[100ps_drw_hicube]

and they wonder why people fly tip i cant get in our local tip with my van as they got hanging chains on a hinged pole across the entrance all i do is wait for no one to watch open the bar drive in shut it and go tip they never ask thank god there aint a height barrier on the exit i know people with lutons who just tip it at the gate serves the council right

[thehangmen]

and they wonder why people fly tip :

Now heard of a situation (same tip) where a full scale domestic row kicked off in the street when some poor geezer had to take around 20 bags of garden waste back home - his missus though he was just shirking it - and he didn't want to leave it in there stinking his van out whilst leaving him without a van to use until it was out of there.
Bags of rubbish being thrown around amidst the yelling! I believe that was just fly-tipped in the end.
Hope it stunk and the weather was p-ing down when the council had to shift it.

[100ps_drw_hicube]

not that i have ever dumped more than a sweet wrapper but it is worth risking the £1000 fine than keep paying £200 a time for a skip etc bloody councils just have no idea why not just say £15 a van load every builder would be down there dumping no flytipping!! even the pikeys would probably dump it down there but no they just have no idea

[thehangmen]

not that i have ever dumped more than a sweet wrapper but it is worth risking the £1000 fine than keep paying £200 a time for a skip etc bloody councils just have no idea why not just say £15 a van load every builder would be down there dumping no flytipping!! even the pikeys would probably dump it down there but no they just have no idea

After paying council tax for just such a service and meeting them halfway by transporting the stuff to the tip and handling it throughout I would expect a rebate not a fee.

All sounds very much like discrimination though -

[jay]

I dont even bother going to the tip now..I went once with a spec lift with a cabinet on the back held on by pure luck and a bit of dodgy string they turned me away saying no commercials allowed.So it got dumped(sort of fell off) by there exit gate..I just burn everything now dont get any complaints as there is noone for miles around..

[100ps_drw_hicube]

yep we burn most of our rubbish now f**k the neighbours they dont care when they wake us up at 3 in the morning

[AndyG]

You can bung the dustmen a tenner (not that you should have to)and guess what All your rubish disapears like it ought to