The government has published guidance
for local authorities on how they can safely
re-open their Household Waste and Recycling Centres
(HWRCs).
Councils are being encouraged to open sites to avoid the
build-up of waste in homes and businesses and reduce the
opportunity for fly-tipping - but only where social
distancing can be maintained and the public and staff can
be kept safe.
Under the amended
restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on
Sunday 10 May, trips may now be made to recycling centres
under any circumstance and not just where waste presents a
risk of injury or to public health.
Before travelling, householders should check with their
council to see if their local site is open. If possible,
waste should be stored safely until a local recycling
centre is open, or disposed of using regular council
collections.
Environment Minister said:
Maintaining crucial waste services while protecting
public health remains a top priority during these
unprecedented times, and I commend our councils on the
superbly efficient job they are doing in keeping waste
collection services running.
We are publishing this guidance to help local authorities
re-open their recycling centres over the coming days and
weeks. This will ensure that more waste can be properly
disposed of and we avoid the likelihood of fly-tipping.
The guidance sets out how local authorities could manage
access and the number of people who are able to be on site
at any one time.
It also recognises the importance of councils making
independent assessments of which centres can be re-opened
based on how much capacity they have and the practicalities
of adhering to social distancing requirements at any one
site.
Local Government Minister said:
Councils have been working tirelessly to keep rubbish and
recycling collections open during this national
emergency, while bin crews are also playing a vital role
in keeping the country going.
Many residents have not been able to dispose of all of
their excess or bulky waste. That is why we are helping
councils to reopen these sites, where safe to do so, in a
planned and organised way over the next few weeks.
Cllr David Renard, Environment spokesman for the Local
Government Association, said:
Councils are keen to open household waste and recycling
centres as soon as practicable. The decision to re-open
sites will be taken by individual councils based on risk
assessments in their area.
This will be a gradual process over the next few weeks
and based on whether they have enough staff, social
distancing measures are in place to protect workers and
members of the public and waste staff are given personal
protective equipment to reduce the risk of infection and
provide reassurance.
Councils will introduce measures to keep staff and
customers safe, for example by managing visits through
pre-booked time slots.
People should always check with their local council that
their waste and recycling centre has reopened before
driving there.
In April, Defra published waste collection
prioritisation guidance for local authorities, with
recommendations on how they could prioritise and adapt
their collection services and mitigate any impacts being
felt by coronavirus. The government says councils’ top
priority should be the collection of residual ‘black bag’
waste to avoid the build-up of waste and protect public
health.
