Half of North Yorkshire’s household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) will reopen tomorrow (Wednesday, 6 May) following recent Government advice.
This first phase of the reopening of the service under strict controls to keep the public and staff safe follows Government guidance that disposing of waste that could cause a health hazard if stored at home could be seen as essential travel.
All 20 of the County Council’s HWRCs closed temporarily in March in response to Government restrictions to protect the public during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, following discussions with Yorwaste, which runs the HWRCs for the County Council, arrangements have been put in place to reopen ten of the sites that can be structured to operate within the guidelines and maintain the safety of the public and centre staff.
For safety reasons, not all sites can be opened at this time because of their size, layout and proximity to roads, but this will be reviewed continually with a view to opening more as soon as possible.
Cllr Andrew Lee, Executive Member for Waste Management, said:
I am pleased that we can move forward now, and thank residents for their support of the measures we have taken to date and in anticipation of their continued support to ensure the arrangements we are now putting in place can operate successfully. This will be the first phase of the reopening and we will work to reopen the other sites as soon as we can.
Please consider others and go to the HWRC only if you are struggling. If you can store your waste at home, please do so. And please continue to try to minimise waste and where possible use your kerbside collection services rather than visiting a recycling centre. Ask yourself whether your trip to the centre is really an essential journey.
As outlined in Government guidance, a visit to your local HWRC should only be considered essential if the waste materials cannot be stored at home without causing risk of injury or harm to health.
We want the sites to work as efficiently as they can, while prioritising the health and safety of residents and our staff, so we would ask people for their patience during the first few days of operation.
The household waste recycling centres to reopen are:
Catterick Bridge, Gatherley Road, Catterick Bridge, DL10 7JD
Leeming Bar, Tutin Road, Leeming Bar Industrial Estate, Leeming Bar, DL7 9UJ
Seamer Carr, Dunslow Road, Eastfield, YO12 4QA
Selby, Canal Road, Selby, YO8 8AG
Skipton, Harrogate Road, Skipton, BD23 6AB
Sowerby, Ox Moor Plantation Lane, Sowerby, Thirsk, YO7 1FA
Stokesley, 8 Ellerbeck Court, Stokesley Business Park, Stokesley, TS9 5PT (the existing permit system remains in place)
Thornton le Dale, Outgang Lane, Thornton le Dale, YO18 7QP
West Harrogate, Penny Pot Lane, Harrogate, HG3 2SN
Whitby, Discovery Way, Whitby Industrial Estate, Whitby, YO22 4PZ
These centres will be open seven days a week (including Wednesdays, when HWRCs are usually closed, and bank holidays) and opening hours will be 8.30am to 5pm.
A queuing system will manage vehicles entering the sites to protect staff and residents. Police have been informed of the openings and ambassadors from County Council contractor Ringway will be on hand to support the queueing system. There will be a cut-off point for the queues, so if they become too long people will need to leave and come back later. Trailers will not be allowed until further notice.
Social distancing must be observed, with people remaining at least two metres apart at all times.
A limited number of people will be able to visit at any one time. Only one person will be allowed out of their vehicle once on-site, and people must remain in their vehicle while queuing. To support social distancing, site staff will be unable to help with the disposal of your waste so you should ensure that you are able to unload your vehicle by yourself.
People will be able to separate waste into different skips. The usual rules will apply for chargeable waste. Payment by card will be accepted only, contactless where possible.
Commercial waste will not be accepted at this time. As is normal practice, commercial-like vehicles that are registered with the Council will be permitted on site. Details can be found on the County Council’s website (https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/vehicles-allowed-use-household-waste-recycling-centres)
Hand sanitising facilities at sites are limited, so people are advised to wear gloves on site and are reminded to wash their hands before and after attending an HWRC.
People should not visit an HWRC if they are extremely vulnerable and are remaining at home for shielding purposes, symptomatic with coronavirus, or in a 14-day household isolation.
Full details can be found at www.northyorks.gov.uk/CovidHWRC