Public thanked after household waste recycling centres are opened up
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Users of Highland Council's newly reopened household waste recycling centres have been praised for their "fantastic" co-operation and for following the social distancing guidance.
Fourteen centres across the region – including those at Thurso and Wick – were opened up on Monday to allow people to drop off garden waste and bagged household waste.
The phased approach to the reopening has worked well, according to the local authority. It says the large number of visitors using the sites across the region "has been at safe and manageable levels" and that staff have adapted well to the new rules.
Councillor Allan Henderson, chairman of the communities and place committee, thanked the public for their understanding.
He said: “The cautious, phased approach we have put in place has worked very well. The high number of people visiting the sites was as we anticipated it would be, but the volume of waste has been handled safely and efficiently by staff.
"Any queues of traffic are free-flowing with waiting times being kept to a minimum.
"I want to sincerely thank the public for their co-operation and for following the new guidance. I want to also thank all our staff for all their hard work in helping to keep the public safe."
Centres currently operating are in Alness, Aviemore, Brora, Dingwall, Fort William, Gairloch, Inverness, Lochinver, Nairn, Tain, Tongue and Ullapool as well as Thurso and Wick.
Work is under way to look at reopening those that remain shut.
The council has a short animation on its social media channels to reinforce key messages. These include a reminder that the sites are for cars only – no trailers or vans are allowed as part of this phase.
Also, only bagged household waste and garden waste can be accepted until further notice. The guidance also makes it clear that only one person can leave each car and the two-metre social distancing rule should be followed at all times. Anyone planning to make a journey is asked to check the opening hours of their local site before setting off.
Councillor Henderson added: “The co-operation we’ve had so far from the public has been fantastic. It is very important that everyone planning to visit a site continues to stick to the restrictions on vehicles and materials they bring.
"They are in place to reduce the time spent at the sites by so that as many as people as possible can pass through quickly and safely, enabling traffic to flow more freely. Our staff are unable to assist with handling waste so householders should only bring waste they can carry and empty into the containers.”
Full details of the opening hours of all the sites are available at www.highland.gov.uk/recycle
