Restrictions plan for waste centres
ONLINE booking and restrictions on types of waste will be imposed when Lancashire’s waste and recycling centres finally reopen.
In the face of mounting pressure to reverse its decision as flytipping has increased, Lancashire County Council is remaining defiant in keeping the centres closed in order to prevent the public making unessential journeys.
Tips in Merseyside and Greater Manchester have reopened but bosses in Lancashire say they will not follow suit until the Government’s guidance on social distancing is updated.
The authority says that work is under way to create a safe way of operating as soon as the restrictions are reduced.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said last Tuesday that councils should plan to reopen recycling centres in the coming weeks, with further guidance to follow.
But the council is warning that people will need to call or go online to book a time slot before visiting, and that there will be restrictions on the types of waste they can bring in order to allow the sites to operate while maintaining social distancing.
The number of sites available will also be limited to begin with as extra staff will be needed to manage each site more closely, monitor queues, and direct visitors.
Since the lockdown began, staff who usually work at the recycling sites have been redeployed to help maintain district council collections, and the operation of the county council’s waste processing facilities.
But as rubbish has mounted and fly-tipping increased, hundreds of West Lancashire residents have signed a petition started by Our West Lancashire calling for tips to be reopened, while county councillors including Skelmersdale’s John Fillis have called for a safe way of reopening to be introduced.
County Cllr Albert Atkinson, cabinet member for technical services, rural affairs, and waste management, said that he understood the desire to have the centres reopened but that they must stay closed for now.
He said: “We’re grateful for people’s patience and understanding, and for keeping hold of any excess waste for now which they can’t dispose of using their household waste collections.
“However I also want people to know that we’re just as keen as they are to see the sites reopen, and are putting in place arrangements for this to happen as soon as we reasonably can once the government gives the go-ahead.
“I also want to prepare people to expect a much more limited service than they’re used to when the centres initially reopen due to the need to operate them in a way which enables social distancing.
“Managing the way people move around the site means we’re also likely to need to put some restrictions on the type of waste people can bring on each visit to begin with.
“As we will need to limit the number of people visiting at any one time, there will need to be a booking system.
“And we will have to carefully control the way people access the sites, which means we won’t have the resources to open them all immediately.
“We’re currently ironing out the full details, and I would ask people to watch this space.
“However we’re aiming to be in a position to provide the service again as soon as we can, which means people may start to see some activity on the sites as we reconfigure the way they work.”