Charity waste

How community groups and charities can dispose of waste.

1 Overview

If you are a registered charity and need help to dispose of your waste, you may be eligible for free recycling and general waste disposal if your waste does not come from:

  • construction and demolition
  • commercial, industrial or hazardous waste
  • wastes produced by trading companies not registered as charities
  • waste generated outside the county.

2 How to dispose of occasional waste

If you only produce jumble sale waste, contact us two weeks before each event and we can issue you with an exemption form (valid for the date on the form only). This will allow you to take the waste to a local Recycling Centre.

Before you contact us, you will need to register as a lower-tier waste carrier with the Environment Agency. This registration is free, lasts indefinitely and you will be issued with a waste exemption certificate.

3 How to dispose of regular waste

If you regularly generate waste whilst carrying out your charitable work, then you will need to register with us before you can deposit your waste at Burgess Hill, Westhampnett or Crawley Transfer Stations.

Registration is required to prevent commercial businesses attempting to dispose of commercial waste as charity waste. You will need to register annually to use a transfer station, where the waste will be weighed on a vehicle weighbridge.

Please contact us in the first instance to ascertain if your charity requirements fall within the acceptance criteria for this disposal scheme. If it does, you will be sent a registration form for your completion and return, together with full details of the scheme.

4 Community group protocol

For groups that are not registered as a charity we may be able to assist in waste collection and disposal via the West Sussex Waste Partnership arrangement between West Sussex County Council and the district and borough councils.

The protocol normally applies to groups that are active within local communities and carry out work such as beach cleans and litter picking, or take part in National Spring Clean days.

A group would be required to put their intentions in writing to their local district or borough council within the relevant notice period before an event or clear up will take place. This will need to include location and type of waste to be collected.

District and borough council contact details

5 Contact our team

Last updated:
25 April 2023
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