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Book an appointment to visit the HWRC

Important information –  An administration fee of £16 to apply for a permit to use your own van or a works van has been introduced. You can view more details about this here.

Site details

Open 7 days a week, throughout the year, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day when the site is closed. Opening hours:

  • 9am to 4pm 1 October to 28 February
  • 9am to 5pm 1 March to 31 March
  • 9am to 6pm 1 April to 30 September
  • The site is closed daily from 1pm and 1:30pm

Address:
Paulsgrove Portway
Port Solent
PO6 4UD

Phone: 023 9238 7015

Booking an appointment to visit the HWRC

Book an appointment online or call 0300 555 1389.

You must have an appointment to visit the Portsmouth HWRC. If you visit without an appointment, you will be turned away.

You can book a slot up to seven days ahead, dates beyond that will show as unavailable.

To book an appointment online, locate your HWRC and complete the requested information. You will need to enter the registration of the vehicle you will be bringing to the site. If you bring a different vehicle to the site you will be turned away.

When you book online, we will also ask you to provide your email address. We will use this to email you confirmation of your booking.

To manage flow of traffic into the HWRC, appointments are shown in half hour slots – this is not the amount of time you have to unload your vehicle, as other vehicles will be booked within the same time slot. Please unload as quickly and safely as possible.

Book an appointment online

Any information you provide will be automatically deleted after 14 days. Your information will not be used for any other purpose. Read our privacy notice

Getting a permit for your van or trailer

If you want to use your own van/work van, please ensure you have a permit from Portsmouth City Council to visit the Portsmouth site, Hampshire permits are not valid*. Permits to use the Portsmouth site are for Portsmouth residents only. Anyone who lives outside of Portsmouth will need to get a Hampshire permit to visit other Hampshire sites.

*Please note that the rules for using a hire van are different, see Does my vehicle need a permit? for more information.

Portsmouth residents will be charged a £16 administration fee when applying for a permit for a commercial-type vehicle. Only one permit per household is permitted and is for household waste only. Please note that permits may take up to 10 working days to be delivered. It is recommended that you wait until receipt of your permit before booking your HWRC slot, as slots are only bookable up to seven days in advance.

To apply for a permit to visit the Portsmouth site – please fill our online form.

Other Hampshire sites have different specifications. If you would like to visit another site in Hampshire please visit Hampshire County Council for specifications and details on obtaining a permit.

Does my vehicle need a permit?

Any vehicle that is principally designed to carry goods, not people, will require a permit:

Van, pick-up or light goods vehicle

Commercial-type vehicles are defined as a vehicle with one or more of the following features:

  • No rear windows
  • No rear side windows and/or panels in place of rear side windows
  • No rear seats
  • An open back or any flat back vehicle, with or without a cover
  • A back which is separate to the main cab such as a closed cab pick-up
  • A single cab pick-up with either two or four seats

Hired van

Householders who have hired a van for three days or fewer to dispose of their own household waste do not require a permit.

Householders should bring their hire agreement with them and present it to the site staff on arrival.

If you do not know the vehicle registration at the time of booking a slot, please enter HIRE VAN.

Vehicle with trailer

Cars towing trailers of 1.8m or less can access the site without a permit.

If you use a trailer between 1.8m and 3.0m in length you will need to apply for a permit to access the site.

Trailers over 3.0m are not permitted access to the site.

The measurements above apply to the actual trailer ‘box’ area only, and do not include the tow bar or any other attachments.

Where a commercial-type vehicle (such as a van or pick-up) is the only towing vehicle available for a trailer, then the vehicle itself is permitted to access the site without a permit provided it does not carry any waste. It is not permitted for a householder to hold permits for a commercial-type vehicle and a trailer at the same time.

Campervans and converted interiors

If you use a fully fitted campervan to dispose of your household waste you will not require a permit.

You may not require a permit if you drive a van with a converted interior:

  • Portsmouth City Council consider a vehicle to be converted if the interior is fitted with permanent living arrangements including a fixed bed and kitchenette
  • If the living arrangements in your vehicle are temporary and/or removable the criteria under Van, pick-up or light goods vehicle will be applied to determine if a permit is required
  • Heavy goods vehicle

Any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes in weight is not permitted access to the site.

Horsebox

Horseboxes and horse trailers are not permitted to access the site.

Car or 4×4

Cars and 4x4s do not require a permit to access the site.

When the need for a permit is questioned, the decision of Portsmouth City Council is final. We do not use DVLA vehicle classifications to make decisions regarding permit exemption.

Blue badge holders

In exceptional circumstances where it can be demonstrated that your vehicle has been adapted specifically as a result of your disability, an exemption to the permit scheme will still apply. All other Blue Badge holders will be required to possess a valid permit if they wish to use a commercial-type vehicle.

Administration Fee

A £16 administration fee applies to each permit application. It costs approximately £16 for each permit to be processed. Previously these permits were issued free of charge, but due to the rising demand for services and ongoing financial pressures, introducing a £16 administration fee is necessary to cover the cost of issuing each permit. The decision to implement the policy change was approved on 15 February 2022 at the full council budget meeting, and the fee is in line with Hampshire County Council charges.

What the permit provides

Permits are for the disposal of your own household waste only. It does not permit the disposal of business waste free of charge (this includes landlords clearing rental properties). For more information on business/trade waste charges, visit the Hampshire County Council website.

One permit allows 12 individual visits to the Portsmouth HWRC within a 12-month period. Once 12 visits have been made, the site staff will retain the permit and householders can reapply for another permit at a cost of £16.

If your permit has expired or all 12 visits have been used (whichever comes first) you will require a new permit.

No more than two permits (enabling 24 visits) may be issued to a household within a 12-month period.

If you own the vehicle to which a permit is assigned, any member of your household or another driver you designate can use the permit to visit the site in that vehicle and dispose of household waste, but this will count as one of the 12 allocated visits on the permit.

If you visit the HWRC more than once in one day, each visit will be counted separately, and your permit marked accordingly.

If you change your vehicle or address

Destroy your existing permit and reapply with your new details (please note this will incur a new administration fee of £16). The permit is only valid for the vehicle that appears on it.

A household may hold only one permit at a time. It is not permissible to apply for a permit for both a commercial-type vehicle and a large trailer.

Before you visit

Before you travel, make sure you have:

  • Booked an appointment
  • Separated different types of materials – this is especially important when disposing of chargeable waste
  • Checked travel times and any restrictions which may affect your journey
  • Checked you have a valid permit if your vehicle requires one. Permit holders must have their permits with them, or they will be turned away
  • Got your booking confirmation available for site staff to check. This is especially important if you have booked an appointment on the same day as you are visiting

Do not turn up early – there are no breaks between time slots and people from earlier slots may still be on site. Site staff may ask you to re-join the queue or return at your stated appointment time. If you arrive late, site staff may turn you away.

When you arrive

  • Please be patient if you have to queue
  • Listen to the site staff for instructions on using the site safely
  • If you require assistance, please ask a member of staff
  • Social distancing on site is encouraged, as well as the use of masks

If you no longer need your slot or need to amend your booking

You can cancel your booking by clicking the link in your confirmation email. If you do not have internet access or need to amend your booking, you can do this by phone on 0300 555 1389

Materials that aren't accepted

Please visit the Hampshire County Council website for full list of accepted/unaccepted materials and charges.

Business/Trade waste

Please visit the Hampshire County Council website for more information on business/trade waste and charges.

Restrictions on site

  • To ensure the safety of residents and site staff, you are not permitted to walk your waste in on foot. However, bikes can now book using the booking system – please visit the Hampshire County Council website for more details
  • Restricted numbers of vehicles will be permitted to access the site at any one time and site staff will enforce this at the site entrance
  • Commercial vehicles are permitted if it is a residents only means of transport, and they have a valid van permit

Please note there is likely to be queuing at the sites, please be patient. There will be zero tolerance of abuse of site staff and staff will be wearing body cameras.

Read our Privacy Notice

Frequently asked questions

Avoid a trip to HWRC

Did you know you can get your garden waste collected fortnightly for a fee? Visit the Green Waste Club for more information.