Devon-wide van permit at recycling centres begins in March

Our new system is already in operation in the rest of Devon in East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge and Torridge. You will only need to have a permit to use our sites if you own a privately registered panel van or flat-bed van.

If you own a private van and you want to use our Ivybridge, Totnes, Kingsbridge, Okehampton or Tavistock Recycling Centres you will need a permit from Wednesday March 1 – and from today you can apply, online, for free. 

Our new system is already in operation in the rest of Devon in East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge and Torridge.

You will only need to have a permit to use our sites if you own a privately registered panel van or flat-bed van.

We’ve introduced it to help stop commercial waste from being deposited at our sites at public expense. It will also help make it easier for you to use the sites by reducing queues and congestion. 

Once you have received the permit you will be entitled to a total of 12 visits over the next 12 months. We will only issue permits to vans registered to individual residents and not to vehicles registered to businesses.

And if you use cars, pick-ups, bicycles, motorcycles, fully-fitted campervans and minibuses, vans modified for wheelchairs and van-based people carriers you won’t need a permit.

Vans hired out by a householder also will not need a permit, but terms and conditions apply. 

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon’s County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Equality, said:

“This new system has been intrduced to help us tackle the illegal disposal of business waste at our Recycling Centres at taxpayer expense.

“Waste from a business should be disposed of at licenced, commercial facilities nut instead of restricting all panel vans, we’ve designed it in such a way that it allows Devon householders with privately registered panel vans to continue using our recycling centres. This will help us make sure that Devon residents with household waste can access the sites more easily, safely and with less queues.

All vehicles, including those not needing a permit, must still comply with the vehicle restrictions policy.

To apply for a permit and view all the information (including the terms and conditions) please see our van permit scheme webpage.

If you are having problems accessing the online form you can call our Customer Service Centre on 0345 155 1010 for further information.