Thurso and Wick waste recycling centres to open on June 1
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The household waste recycling centres at Thurso and Wick are among those being reopened by Highland Council next week.
Fourteen centres around the region – which were temporarily closed in March because of the coronavirus crisis – will be operating from Monday, June 1, with revised opening hours.
The local authority is adopting a phased approach to reopening its recycling sites, with strict controls to help manage social distancing and to ensure the expected high number of visitors and large volume of waste can be handled safely and efficiently.
In the initial phase the sites are open for essential waste disposal only and householders should only go if their waste cannot be stored at home safely. "By this we mean the waste cannot be stored without causing risk of injury, or harm to health," the council said in a statement.
The sites that are reopening from Monday, in addition to Thurso and Wick, are Alness, Aviemore, Brora, Dingwall, Fort William, Gairloch, Inverness, Lochinver, Nairn, Tain, Tongue and Ullapool.
The opening times for both Wick and Thurso will be Monday to Friday, 9am to 3.30pm (closed from noon to 1pm).
Householders are urged to visit the council website before they go to one of these sites to check it will be open as planned and to find out what restrictions are in place. Further guidance on what to expect is detailed in a set of frequently asked questions, also available on the website.
The first phase will see only cars being allowed access to the sites, while the materials accepted will be restricted to bagged household waste and garden waste. To cut down on time spent at the site, householders should bring garden waste in bags and empty the contents into the containers.
The reason for the restrictions on vehicles and materials is to reduce the time spent at the sites by individuals, so that as many as people as possible can pass through the sites quickly and safely, enabling traffic to flow more freely. Only one person will be permitted to leave their vehicle to dispose of their waste.
Site staff are unable to assist with handling waste, so householders should only bring waste they can carry and empty into the containers.
The Caithness civic leader, Councillor Willie Mackay (Wick and East Caithness), said: “I am confident that the public who value our recycling centres at Wick and Thurso will co-operate with the requirements for entering and leaving the sites and will appreciate the need for robust hygiene measures.
“The people of Caithness have been fantastic at recycling, with terrific tonnage results for the county before the Covid-19 crisis, and during lockdown householders will no doubt have been finding time to set aside and store items for recycling when the centres open up. I myself have a few loads from clearing out a couple of sheds and will be staggering my visits to the centres and planning my trips accordingly.
“I want this reopening of the centres to be a success. Recycling rates are increasing and we all want to keep it that way."
Councillor Allan Henderson, chairman of the communities and place committee, said: “I am pleased that we are now in a position to confirm that 14 of the household waste recycling centres are able to reopen from next Monday.
"Last week the Scottish Government updated Covid-19 restrictions, permitting household waste recycling centres across the country to be reopened from June 1 if safe to do so. The council’s waste team has been working hard to ensure that as many as possible of the 20 sites across the Highland region can open from this date.
"However, we need to be clear that sites can only reopen when we have adequate staffing in place and it is safe to do so.
“All household waste recycling centres now need to be managed to make sure visitors move around the site as little as possible and leave as quickly as they can. As we have seen in other parts of the country, severe delays and queuing traffic are expected when the sites initially reopen, so I would like to remind householders that journeys to a household waste recycling centre must only be undertaken for essential waste disposal only and if your waste cannot be stored at home safely.
“If your local household waste recycling centre is not currently on the list of those that are reopening on June 1, please be assured that council officers will be regularly assessing the situation. Each site is different and presents its own particular set of challenges but, when we are confident that the resources and safety controls are in place, these sites will also be reopened."
Councillor Henderson added: “Over the coming weeks, once we are satisfied that the amount of waste and visitor numbers using the sites are at safe and manageable levels, we will move to phase two, which will see more types of waste being introduced to the list of items that are accepted. It is vitally important that householders check the new guidance about using a household waste recycling centre on our website and in the local press before they set off or risk being turned away.”
Traffic management systems will be in operation in the surrounding area of a waste centre. Staff will be in place at the entrance to each site to speak to visitors and advise on waiting times and procedures on site.
If a queue is too large, some vehicles may be turned away and asked to return later.
To help reduce the spread of coronavirus, site staff will be adopting strict hygiene standards. Householders should wash their hands before and after visiting a centre. They are asked to observe social distancing and stay two metres apart from staff and other site users.
Householders are reminded not to visit the site if they are showing symptoms of the virus. No commercial waste or recycling will be accepted.
