Household recycling centres set to reopen
West Berkshire Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are set to reopen to allow residents the opportunity to dispose of waste and recycling that cannot be safely stored at home.
This follows publication by the government of updated guidance indicating that visits to recycling centres can be considered essential under certain conditions.
From Thursday 14 May both of WBC’s recycling centres (Newtown Road in Newbury and Padworth Lane, near Aldermaston) will be reopened. The sites were closed temporarily on 24 March following announcements by the government of lockdown restrictions.
Booking System
In order to manage demand, a booking system is in place, so residents will not be able to simply turn up at the recycling centres.
The booking system will be live on the morning of Wednesday 13 May. Residents need to book their appointment here: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip.
The sites will be open seven days a week from 9:00am to 6:00pm, with the last booking appointment available at 4:30pm.
The Council is reminding residents that journeys to these sites during lockdown should only be made if waste cannot be stored any longer at home without causing a risk to health and safety. This is in order to stay within the government’s Covid-19 guidelines on essential travel.
Precautionary measures will be introduced to help maintain social distancing on both sites, for the protection of both residents and staff.
WBC says it will implement “a robust traffic management plan” which will help minimise impacts of traffic congestion on the local road network and to control the number of site visitors at any one time.
Residents need to book an appointment and be prepared for the possibility of long queues, especially in the immediate future. WBC advises delaying a visit until things are a bit quieter in a few weeks’ time if at all possible.
The kerbside waste collections (recycling, rubbish, garden and food waste subscription scheme, and chargeable kerbside bulky waste collection) services are still operating normally. WBC is advising residents to make use of them, wherever practicable, in the meantime.
Making your visit run smoothly
The experience of visiting the household recycling centres will be different. WBC says that residents should only visit the recycling centres if they cannot safely store waste at home.
Please ensure the following before travelling to a HWRC site:
- Book an appointment online – available from Wednesday 13 May in the morning.
- Check online to see if all waste materials can still be taken to the site.
- Check the site layout when loading waste into a car. Use these site maps to help when packing a vehicle: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.
- Check travel times and any restrictions in place. Please arrive at the allocated time booked online and not any earlier.
- There may be delays accessing the site and possibly queues of waiting vehicles. Please bear with staff working safely on the site to limit contact between people.
- Have the necessary permit, or ID and proof of West Berkshire address to hand.
- Have a copy of the booking confirmation to hand – either a print out or on a phone.
- Only bring what you can physically carry as we are operating a one person per car restriction – staff cannot help with unloading vehicles.
- Under exceptional circumstances only, and at the sole discretion of site staff, two people may be allowed to leave the vehicle to dispose of the waste e.g. if they are removing a heavy or bulky waste item.
- Follow the instructions of the site staff and be polite to members of staff – they are just doing their job in difficult circumstances.
- Observe the social distancing measures in place by keeping at least TWO METRES apart at all times when visiting the recycling centres.
- Follow Public Health England guidance – residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate Coronavirus, should not visit household recycling centres.
For more in depth information, please read the WBC FAQs.
