Date announced for tips to open again in Warwickshire

THE majority of tips in Warwickshire will reopen to the public on Monday, May 18 it has been announced.

It comes after the government gave local authorities the green light to reopen Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCS) when they were safely able to do so.

Warwickshire County Council said work has been ongoing to ensure that sufficient staff are available for the tips to open and supervise the safety of them, with staff and visitors able to follow social distancing rules.

But anyone itching to get rid of anything they’ve been storing in their sheds since the lockdown began should be aware that tips should only be used when essential, and people will need to book before attending.

Tips were among a number of services to shut down when the coronavirus lockdown was announced.

All tips run by Warwickshire County Council will be reopening on May 18 apart from those at Stockton, Wellesbourne and Shipston. A date for their reopening will be announced in the coming weeks.

Despite the reopening, government advice states that centres should only be used where essential. Whenever possible, waste should be stored safely at home or put with kerbside collections.

And Warwickshire County Council said that, in order to safely manage numbers at the centres when they reopen, and to minimise the effects of traffic in the areas, they are finalising an online booking service which must be used to book a slot at a centre before turning up.

Further details of that will be announced next week along with guidance on how to make a booking.

Cllr Heather Timms, portfolio holder for environment and heritage and culture, said:” we have been acutely aware that residents want to get to our recycling centres so we are delighted at the revised guidance from Government. Our officers have been working very hard to make sure that we can be open as soon as this was safe to do so, both for staff and for members of the public and I would like to thank them for their efforts in recent weeks.

“DEFRA’S statement that HWRCS can reopen does not mean that this can happen immediately. We still have some work to do to ensure safety measures are in place at the sites and also on the surrounding roads so I stress that HWRCS will not be open this weekend nor next weekend.

“Reopening on 18 May is a huge step towards resuming something approaching a normal service. When this happens, I ask that customers are patient and show kindness and respect to each other and staff. I would also like to extend the thanks of the county council towards our colleagues at borough and district councils who have supported managing waste throughout the lockdown period by maintaining, and in some cases extending, what they have been collecting at kerbsides.”