FAQs - Recycling and waste

Summer opening times (April 1 - Sep 30) Winter opening times (Oct 1 – March 31)

Llanelli recycling centre is open seven days a week

Nantycaws, Carmarthen and Wernddu, Ammanford recycling centres are open six days a week, closed Tuesdays

Whitland recycling centre is open five days a week, closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays

Please see our webpage for any individual site holiday closures and reduced opening times

Before entering, you will need to have the following with you to show to the site attendant:

• Proof of residency, one of the following - Driving licence, your current Council Tax bill, a utility bill, (no older than 3 months)
• Permit if your vehicle requires one.

Upon entering the recycling centre, a site operative will ask to see a copy of your permit. Once verified you will be asked to place it in a collection box on site.

Unfortunately, site staff cannot help to remove items from any vehicles, however you can bring someone with you to help unload your waste or you may notify one of the site staff that you need to leave a heavy or bulky item on the ground. The staff will then place the waste into the correct receptacle.

Yes, but they must not leave the vehicle. 

No. Please do not visit the recycling centre if you are self-isolating or displaying any symptoms of Coronavirus.

Make sure any waste suspected to be infected with COVID-19 is double bagged and kept on your property for a minimum of 72 hours before disposal.

Visit CWM Environmental website for a list of what can be taken to this site or use our A-Z of recycling.

If you have more than 3 bags, then you can take the additional bags to a recycling centre 

If you do need to bring any black bags, sort them at home and make sure that anything that can be recycled either at the centre or placed in your blue bag is removed.

Please try to recycle as much as you can and help us to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill. If you’re not sure what can be recycled have a look at the A-Z of recycling section of our website.

Most household items can be recycled, either in your blue bag, your food waste bin, at recycling banks or in our recycling centres. Anything that can be recycled is not allowed in your black bags.

Some items however cannot be recycled and should go in your black bag. This includes things like cat litter, tissues, kitchen/bathroom wipes and vacuum cleaner contents.

Check which items you can recycle on our A-Z of recycling.

On average almost half the content of black bags in Carmarthenshire are recyclable. By separating this recyclable material, we hope to increase our overall recycling rate, helping Carmarthenshire to achieve Welsh Government’s 70% recycling target by 2025 and avoid a hefty fine.

We recommend that you sort your black bags at home before you come to the recycling centre. Separate items that can go in individual bins at the recycling centre such as glass, paper / cardboard, clothes and shoes, garden waste etc.

Many household items can also be recycled, either in your blue bag or your green food bin.

Check which items you can recycle in our A-Z of recycling.

There is a designated sorting area at all of our recycling centres. You can place your recyclable items into labelled bins in these areas. If you’re not sure what to do our staff are on hand to help you.

We recommend that you sort your black bags at home before you come to the recycling centre. Many household items can be recycled, either in your blue bag or your food waste bin.

Other items such as glass and clothes can be recycled at the recycling centre or smaller recycling banks. Separate these before you come ready to place them in the correct area/bin.

Check which items you can recycle on our A-Z of recycling.

We recommend that you sort your waste into recyclable and non-recyclable materials before coming to the recycling centre. Many household items can be recycled, either in your blue bag or your food waste bin.

Other items such as glass, clothes and small electrical items can be recycled at the recycling centre or smaller recycling banks.

Have a look at the A-Z of Recycling to find out what can be recycled.

If you bring black bags to the recycling centre, you will have to sort them at one of our designated sorting stations. You will be provided with gloves, aprons, tongs and antibacterial spray and there will be labelled bins for you to put your recyclable materials in. There will be signs at the sorting stations explaining what you need to do, but if you are unsure, staff will be on hand to advise.

If there are items in your black bag that cannot be recycled and you are not comfortable opening the bag at the recycling centre, please place the bag out for collection at the kerbside.

Any black bags that you bring to the recycling centre will have to be opened.

You can dispose of the equivalent of up to three bags per month of plasterboard and up to three bags per year of asbestos. Asbestos must be double bagged, but plasterboard must be loose. Please ask staff about this on arrival.

You can bring sheets of asbestos or large volumes of plasterboard and loose asbestos to Nantycaws only. You will be required to take the material over the weighbridge and pay the appropriate disposal charge. Please ring 01267 275536 to find the latest disposal fees.

Please do not queue jump, unless instructed to do so by site staff or there is space in the recycling bays. Be kind and patient to others using the site.

As long as your vehicle is not on our banned vehicles list, you can buy bagged compost from any of our recycling centres.  You can purchase Merlin’s Magic compost for £2.50 per bag. It is available at all our recycling centres as well as Canolfan Eto, at Nantycaws. You must have the exact amount of money. We will be unable to give any change.

You can also purchase larger amounts loose from Cwm Environmental at Nanty caws.  If you are using a vehicle which requires a permit or is banned from entering our recycling centres, turn right as you enter from the access road and report to the weigh-bridge office.

You must have the exact amount to pay for their disposal, we will be unable to give any change.  Please visit Cwm Environmental’s website for the latest fees.

No, our sites are provided for Carmarthenshire residents only and residency checks are in place. You will need to bring one of the following as proof of residency: your driving licence, your current Council Tax bill or a utility bill, (no older than 3 months).

If you are a non-resident and need access to clear waste for a relative following a family bereavement, then please contact us.

No, our recycling centres cannot accept business waste, which must be disposed of using a licensed facility meeting Duty of Care requirements.  Nantycaws Transfer Station, Carmarthen has facilities for household and business waste and there are also a number of licensed private sites which can be found online by searching ‘waste transfer stations in my area’.  Most facilities that accept commercial waste will charge for disposal.

Depositing commercial waste at the HWRC sites is a criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and could result in an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment.

Our recycling centres are for the use of Carmarthenshire residents to dispose of household waste only. The introduction of a free permit system has helped us to ensure that businesses are not using the recycling centres illegally to dispose of commercial waste

If your vehicle requires a permit you can apply online. You will need to provide the following information:

• Your details
• Vehicle details
• Copy/scan of all pages of your V5C vehicle log book
• Proof of address - You only need to send one proof of address which could be a copy of your council tax bill, utility bill (less than 3 months old) or driver’s licence. 

Check if you need a permit Apply for a permit

Depending on the type of vehicle you are using, you may be required to apply for a free permit to use the recycling centres. The permit will allow you to access any recycling centre in Carmarthenshire up to 12 times per year.

Your permit will be registered against the vehicle that you drive. On arrival at the recycling centre, a member of staff will check your permit details against those of your vehicle, and remove one of the 12 permit tabs to show that it has been used.

Check if you need a permit

The free permit scheme applies at all of our recycling centres. Whether you will need a permit or not depends on the type of vehicle you are bringing to the recycling centre. If you do require a permit, you can apply online.

Check if you need a permit

You will need to provide a copy of your vehicle’s V5C log book as well as a proof of address document that corresponds to the address registered on your V5C.

For proof of address we accept the following documents:

• Driving licence
• Your Council Tax bill
• A utility bill, (no older than 3 months)

When a fully completed application form with supporting documents is received and validated, permits will be issued within 10 working days.

You can apply for a permit if the vehicle is registered to a business, as long as you have the company’s permission to use the vehicle for personal use and you are only transporting household waste.

Along with your completed permit application, you will need to provide us with the following:

• A company headed letter, from your employer stating you have permission to use the vehicle for personal use
• Copy/scan of the V5C vehicle log book – which shows the name and address the vehicle is registered to.
• Proof of address - You only need to send one proof of address which could be a copy of your council tax bill, utility bill (less than 3 months old) or driving licence. 

Apply for a permit

Yes you will be able to apply for a permit. You are considered to be living in a shared house, if you live with unrelated individuals at the same property.

Along with your permit application, you will need:

• A copy of your V5C
• A council tax bill

If your council tax bill is issued to your landlord instead, you can still apply for a permit, however we will have to carry out further checks on your application. 

Agricultural vehicles, horseboxes, tippers, flatbeds, caged vehicles, drop/curtain sided vehicles and vehicles over 3.5 tonnes including box and panelled vans are not allowed in the recycling centres.

Any vehicles towing a trailer more than 2.44 metres/8ft bed length regardless of number of axles will also not be allowed in.  Panelled vans 3.5 tonnes or under and single cab pickups are not permitted to tow any trailers in the recycling centres.

No, permits are registered to your own vehicle, so cannot be transferred

Your permit starts from the month that you receive it and you cannot visit more than 12 times during any 12 month period. You will still be able to use the recycling centre with any vehicle that does not require a permit e.g car, 4x4, SUV, people carrier etc.

After 12 months from the date of issue of your previous permit you will be able to re-apply for a new permit.

You only need to renew if you have used 10 or more of your tickets.  When this happens, you will be sent an email/letter with instructions on what to do.  If you do not receive these instructions, please phone Cwm Environmental on 01267 225520.

If you applied more than 12 months ago and you still have more than 3 tickets left, then continue to use them. 

No, it will remain in effect until you have used all 12 visits.

Trailers are permitted with restrictions.  The maximum size is 2.44 metres (8 foot) bed length, regardless of number of axles.  To see which vehicles are permitted with trailers please use our vehicle guide.

Check if you need a permit

Adapted vehicles for disabled use will be able to access the sites.  If you believe your adapted vehicle falls into the permit category, please contact us before applying for a permit.

Yes, the hire should be for 3 days or less and you will need to use your own vehicle details when you book an appointment You will need to take the following, when you visit:

• Your booking reference number
• Vehicle hire document
• Proof of residency

Yes, if your vehicle is carrying household waste, and is an allowed vehicle type as explained on our vehicle guide.

DOWNLOAD VEHICLE GUIDE

Yes, if you are a Carmarthenshire resident and carrying household waste. 

The site management may refuse entry if they suspect that the vehicle is being used to carry commercial waste.

If your permit has been lost or stolen please let us know. Once we have verified your information we will reissue the number of tickets that you had remaining. Remember if you have already used all 12 of your permit tickets you will not be able to renew until 12 months from the original date of issue.

Report a lost/stolen permit