An increasing number of residents have been asking about Household Waste and Recycling Centres and when they are likely to re-open. This is at a time when many residents have been making good use of the lockdown to carry out a spring clean or some DIY, all of which normally generate extra trips to the recycling centre.
Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HRWCs) in Aberdeen have been closed since 24th March and currently all HRWCs in Scotland remain closed. The reasons for this decision is two fold. Current working practices were not designed to accommodate social distancing. Also. the lockdown regulations state that no-one can leave their house without a reasonable excuse and visiting a HWRC is not considered to be an essential journey under those regulations.
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has written to the Communities and Local Government Secretary this week calling for recycling centres to be re-opened as soon as possible on a socially distanced basis, as he warned of increases in fly-tipping and the build up of household waste during the lockdown.
He said, “Our councils could follow similar schemes to those in England where Recycling Centres have been allowed to re-open. Where only a certain number of slots were made available each day and then residents invited to book a time to visit, registering car details for workers to confirm people were arriving at their appointed time. Allowing people to clear their homes of large items of waste they may have generated will give a much needed boost to the wellbeing of our communities”.
Lib Dem councillor for Kingswells, Sheddocksley & Summerhill, Steve Delaney said, “The safety of both staff and the general public must be at the forefront of all decision making. However, with Governments, Local Authorities and other public bodies now looking towards a safe but gradual exit from the lockdown, it’s vital that we look towards opening these HWRCs as soon as possible, albeit on a carefully managed basis”.
Aberdeen City Council confirmed earlier this week that HWRCs are likely to remain closed unless the travel ban is lifted. In the meantime they are taking practical steps to consider under what circumstances they could be re-opened, once the national travel advice is changed. However, they have said it will take time to adequately prepare for reopening the sites safely and there are many issues to be considered
Steve continued, ““Fly tipping remains an offence which can attract fines up to a maximum of £10,000. I understand these are challenging times but would ask that residents be mindful of carrying out spring cleans or DIY projects in the interim unless they have somewhere to store the excess waste or recyclable items until our HWRCs re-open. I will of course post any updates regarding timescales for the re-opening of HWRCs one this becomes clearer”.
To report fly-tipping, residents should visit https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/environment/report-flytipping
Where residents employ a private contractor to remove your waste, they should check they are an authorised, licensed collector and ask where they will dispose of the waste they collect.
To check whether a contractor is a licensed Waste Carrier see here: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/wastecarriers/