More waste materials to be accepted as recycling centres reopen to vans and trailers

The range of materials accepted at the majority of Highland Council's household waste recycling centres will be expanded from Monday.

Non-commercial vans and/or trailers will be permitted and an online booking system will be in place for larger sites, including Wick and Thurso.

The additional material that will be accepted from August 24 includes non-bagged household waste and larger bulky household items such as sofas, mattresses, garden tools and rolls of carpet.

Waste such as soil, rubble, plasterboard, kitchen units, bathroom suites, doors and other material from DIY activities will continue to be excluded from sites for the time being.

Householders should check the council’s website for items accepted and to see a list of frequently asked questions before travelling to a recycling centre.

The reintroduction of vans under 3.5 tonnes and trailers to dispose of permitted household waste is part of stage three of the recovery plan for the facilities, enabling access to all householders where capacity of the containers allows.

An online booking system for vans and/or trailers will be introduced for Alness, Dingwall, Fort William, Inverness, Nairn, Portree and Tain as well as the two Caithness towns.

The booking system will help to manage the flow of traffic for all site users. Online bookings are now open – van and/or trailer owners should visit www.highland.gov.uk/recyclingcentres to book a slot.

Householders with cars and small non-commercial 4x4 vehicles do not need to book to use the sites.

The council says booking a slot will be quick and easy – residents will need to enter their name, address, vehicle type, registration number and waste being deposited into the online form at least 48 hours in advance of visiting the site.

Once the online booking is complete, a confirmation text or email will be sent which must be shown to the site attendant on arrival. Booking a slot does not give priority access – householders with a booking will need to join a queue at busy times in order to gain access.

Councillor Allan Henderson, chairman of the communities and place committee, said: “I am pleased to announce we are progressing to the next stage of reopening the household waste recycling centres with the introduction of new materials and small vans and trailers.

"This will mean that all householders now have access to the sites with permitted vehicles, which is a significant step forward in our recovery plan for the facilities.”

He added: “An online booking system has been successfully piloted in Portree since June and we can now roll this out to our larger sites to help with the flow of traffic, thereby reducing queuing for other site users.

“In order to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, it is important that we continue to ensure that social distancing measures are maintained on the sites – therefore it will be necessary to operate with some restrictions in order to manage the number of visitors.

"I would like to thank the public for their understanding and co-operation when using the facilities. By working together we can keep these sites safe for residents and protect our staff.”

Light bulbs (including energy efficient bulbs and fluorescent tubes) and household batteries will also be added to the list of items accepted at the sites.

The council’s bulky uplift collection service is also operating. It collects unwanted household items such as furniture, electrical appliances, bathroom suites and sanitary ware, kitchen units and sinks.

The cost for the service is £23.37 for up to three items or £46.73 for up to six items. Householders can book the bulky uplift service online .

Householders should wash their hands before and after visiting a recycling centre. They are asked to observe social distancing and stay two metres apart from staff and other site users when at a centre. Householders are reminded not to visit the site if they are showing symptoms of coronavirus.

No commercial waste will be accepted at recycling centres.

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