Household DIY and chargeable waste

Household DIY waste and chargeable waste at household waste recycling centres

What is DIY waste?

DIY waste is any waste arising from a resident’s own construction or demolition works in a domestic property subject to pay Council Tax to Hampshire County Council.

The following waste materials may be disposed of at a Hampshire HWRC as a part of a household’s free of charge allowance, subject to the waste acceptance policy of the individual HWRC.

• Soil and rubble including construction and demolition materials such as stone, clay, concrete, bricks, blocks, sand, tiles, paving slabs, and ceramics. This does not include crockery or clay/terracotta flower pots which are not part of the DIY waste allowance
• Plasterboard
• Cement bonded asbestos

DIY waste allowance details

From 1 January 2024, each Hampshire household may dispose of waste arising from construction or demolition DIY projects in accordance with the following points:

• DIY waste is produced at a domestic property by the occupiers of that property carrying out their own construction or demolition works
• A resident may not dispose of any DIY waste free of charge unless they have identified the waste origin household address when booking
• Work on a property undertaken by a tradesperson can not be included in any household's DIY allowance
• Any DIY waste disposed of over the per household allowance will be charged for, according to our scheme of charging
• Residents can only use one waste origin household allowance in a single visit
• Visitors from outside of Hampshire will be charged to dispose of DIY waste according to our scheme of charging, see our Out of county page for more information

A household may dispose of up to eight 50-litre rubble sacks (535 x 820mm when laid flat) or four single items per 4-week period. Please see the appropriate section for size limits. Deduction from the household allowance will be made in whole sack or whole item increments. If less than 1 rubble sack of DIY waste is disposed of at the recycling centre, this will count as 1 rubble sack for the purposes of the allowance. Multiple part sacks will be rounded up to the nearest whole number of sacks. For example, if 1 full and 1 half sack are deposited, this will count as 2 sacks for the purposes of the allowance.

DIY and chargeable waste must be disposed of in accordance with our site regulations, as such visitors must take care not to overfill sacks so they cannot be safely handled.

Households may dispose of the entire 8 rubble sacks or four single items allowance in a single visit.

Visitors wishing to dispose of mixed waste (e.g. rubble and plasterboard, such as tiles with plasterboard attached) must separate them prior to visiting the HWRC so they can be disposed of separately. The removal of tiles from plasterboard may be made easier if soaked in water.

Management of household DIY waste allowances

To manage the per household DIY waste allowance as set out in the Government policy, it is necessary for the County Council to collect waste origin household addresses at the point of booking to visit a HWRC. Addresses will not be accessible to HWRC site staff.

When you book to visit a HWRC, you will need to provide the waste origin household address and declare if you are bringing any DIY waste to dispose of. The booking system will then check if the household has made any DIY waste visits in the previous four weeks and whether any visits are booked in the next 4 weeks. If the household’s DIY allowance has been reached, the booking system will notify you of this before you confirm your booking.

If you cancel a booking where you have indicated you will be bringing DIY waste to dispose of, the DIY waste will not count against the household’s allowance. If you are unable to attend your appointment and unable to move it to a different time or date, cancelling your appointment ensures any DIY waste you indicated you would bring to site will not count against the household allowance.

We kindly request residents to provide the quantity of waste being brought to the HWRC as accurately as possible. Please note the decision of HWRC site staff regarding the quantity of DIY waste brought to site is final.

To ensure your DIY visit goes as smoothly as possible, please ask site staff on arrival how best to dispose of your materials at the HWRC.

Soil and rubble

Soil and rubble including construction and demolition materials such as stone, rubble, clay, concrete, bricks, blocks, sand, tiles, paving slabs, and ceramics can be included in your household’s DIY allowance.

Soil and rubble including the materials listed above is not accepted at New Alresford HWRC.

Quantities of these materials in excess of your household’s DIY waste allowance will be charged for. £3 per part or whole 50-litre rubble sack. £3 per individual item.

Single items larger than 2000mm by 750mm by 700mm cannot be included in your household’s DIY allowance and will be charged for as oversized items.

Crockery or clay/terracotta flower pots are not included in your household’s DIY allowance and will not be charged for.

Plasterboard

Plasterboard can be included in your household’s DIY allowance.

Plasterboard is not accepted at New Alresford HWRC.

Quantities of plasterboard in excess of your household’s DIY waste allowance will be charged for. £6 per part or whole 50-litre rubble sack. £10 per sheet or part sheet.

Single sheets larger than 2000mm by 750mm, to a maximum size of 3000mm by 1200mm, can not be included in your household’s DIY allowance and will be charged for. £10 per oversized sheet.

Single sheets larger than 3000mm by 1200mm cannot be accepted.

Cement-bonded asbestos

Cement-bonded asbestos is only accepted at five HWRCs:

• Andover
• Basingstoke
• Efford
• Netley
• Portsmouth

You must phone the HWRC in advance to pre-book acceptance or you may not be able to deposit your cement bonded asbestos. No other type of asbestos is accepted.

All whole sheets should be wrapped securely in plastic sheeting and transported whole. Avoid breaking the sheets wherever possible for safety reasons. Small or broken pieces or pieces with rough or broken edges should be double bagged and securely sealed.

Cement-bonded asbestos can be included in your household’s DIY allowance.

Quantities of cement-bonded asbestos in excess of your household’s DIY waste allowance will be charged for. £12 per sheet or part sheet.

Cement-bonded asbestos items larger than 1200mm by 600mm cannot be accepted.

The maximum number of asbestos items that can be deposited is 15 sheets.

Why the County Council charges for these materials

Soil, rubble, plasterboard and cement-bonded asbestos are expensive for the County Council to dispose of. Hampshire County Council recognises that many householders carry out small DIY projects which may produce waste in excess of the allowance. Applying a small charge covers the cost of disposal. We can accept payment by card only at all HWRCs.

Are the charges legal?

Materials of these types, when presented in quantities greater than the household allowance, can be charged for in accordance with paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 of the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 which specifies that waste from “construction, improvement, repair, alteration or demolition works, including preparatory works” is to be treated as industrial waste.

Will I pay the same at other HWRCs?

Standard charges are in place for the chargeable waste service at all of Hampshire’s HWRCs.