Household waste recycling centres

Household waste van / trailer booking FAQs

How do I make a van / trailer booking?

Book van / trailer visit

If you are unable to complete your booking using this form, please call us on 0131 561 5284.

This line is open Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, and Friday 9am to 3:30pm.

I'm hiring a van. How does this affect me?

• Plan your visit in advance to ensure you can hire a van and book an appointment for the same day.
• If you don’t yet know your van’s registration number please enter Hire Van when asked for your vehicle registration.
• Please bring along a copy of the hire agreement from the Vehicle Hire Company when you visit.
• The person detailed on the hire agreement must be the person bringing in the waste.

How far in advance do I need to book?

• Please book as early as possible before your visit.
• We can now accept “on the day” bookings - subject to availability.
• If you intend to visit more than once on the same day, you must book separately for each visit.

What time of the day can I bring my vehicle in?

You can visit at any point in the site's opening times. Last entry for all vehicles 30 minutes before the site closing time. This is to allow you adequate time to empty your vehicle and correctly recycle your waste.

What happens if I've not made an appointment?

Any van or other restricted vehicle arriving at the Recycling Centre without a valid reference number, or not booked in, will be refused entry and informed of the booking-in procedure.

I'm clearing out my attic / garage. Can I book for more than one visit in a day?

• If you intend to visit more than once on the same day, you must make a separate booking for each individual visit. 
• Large vans (e.g. Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter) are limited to two visit per day only.

Can I use my work's van to bring in my household waste?

• If you are self employed and own your own van, you can use this to bring in your own household waste. 
• If you intend to use your employer's van to bring in your waste, you are advised to check their policy regarding this.

Can I use my trailer to bring in my rubbish?

• All cars towing trailers need to book in.
• Waste should be secured in the body of the trailer only. No additional side panels should be used.
• You can either make a booking for a van or a trailer - not both. Vans towing trailers are not accepted.
• All trailers should use Stobhill HWRC.

How often can I use my van / trailer to bring in my household waste?

• You can bring waste to the Recycling Centre in your own van, trailer or large vehicle a maximum of 6 times a year (January to December)
• Any additional requests will be allowed at the discretion of Midlothian Council where you can clearly demonstrate your need to dispose of excess household waste. 

Can I book on behalf of my gardener / builder to bring waste to the site on my behalf?

• If you have employed a gardener, builder or other trades people to undertake work for you, any waste they generate becomes business waste not household waste. 
• You and your trades person are responsible for the disposal of this waste under their Duty of Care.
• If you are paying someone to dispose of waste on your behalf, you must ensure that they hold a Waste Carrier's Licence. It is you and your contractor's responsibility to ensure waste is taken to an appropriate licensed site. Please check and ask your contractor where the waste will be taken to.

I'm clearing out my attic / garage. Can I use my brother's van to bring in waste?

• If you are borrowing a van you will still need to book an appointment in the same way as householders hiring a van from a hire company. 
• If you are borrowing a van, trailer or large vehicle to bring in your own household waste, you can bring waste to the Recycling Centre a maximum of 6 times a year (January to December) up to the vehicle's 6 visit allocation.

Can businesses use the site to dispose of recyclable materials?

• Yes. More information on trade waste

I run my business from home. Does this mean my waste is business waste?

• If your waste has been generated as part of your business activities, rather than the activities of your household, it is classified as business waste and must be disposed of appropriately under your Duty of Care.
• You can dispose of business waste at Stobhill Recycling Centre following upfront payment of a disposal charge.
• More information on trade waste

I am working from home. What should I do with my waste?

• If your waste has been generated as part of your work activities, rather than the activities of your household, it is classified as business waste and must be disposed of appropriately under your Employer’s Duty of Care.
• Any waste generated from you working from home should not be placed in your grey or blue wheelie bins.
• For more information, contact your employer or our Trade Waste Officer.

My Private Light Goods Vehicle is smaller than some cars. Why do I have to book it in?

• Private or Light Goods Vehicles (PLG) or car-derived vans are designed to carry goods rather than people and are therefore classified differently to cars by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for vehicle tax purposes. 
• As the main function of a Private or Light Goods Vehicle is to carry goods, you will need to let us know you intend to bring in your waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre.   

Won't this scheme increase fly tipping?

• This scheme has been operating since October 2013 with no increase in fly tipping of waste that would have previously been disposed of at the HWRC.
• Fly tipping is an illegal activity and anyone caught is committing a serious offence and can be prosecuted.