West Berkshire recycling centres to reopen this week – but you'll need to book
Residents will also need to follow social distancing rules
West Berkshire's two recycling centres at Newbury and Padworth will reopen on Thursday (May 14) – but residents will need to book a time slot in advance to use them.
The sites will be open seven days a week from 9am to 6pm, with the last booking appointment available at 4.30pm.
The booking system will be live tomorrow morning (Wednesday) and residents need to book their appointment here: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip.
A number of rules will be in place to ensure the Government's guidelines on social distancing are met (more details at the bottom of this page).
The council also added that journeys to the recycling centres should only be made if waste cannot be stored any longer at home without causing a risk to your health and safety.
The local authority will also implement a robust traffic management plan which will help minimise the impacts of traffic congestion on the local road network and to control the number of visitors to the site at any one time.
It warned that residents need to book an appointment and be prepared for the possibility of long queues.
In a statement, the council said: "We are advising delaying a visit until things are a bit quieter in a few weeks time or to only visit if you cannot safely store waste at home for the next couple of weeks.
"Our kerbside waste collections for recycling, rubbish, the garden and food waste subscription scheme and chargeable kerbside bulky waste collection service is still operating normally and residents are advised to make use of them, wherever practicable, in the meantime."
Executive member for the environment at West Berkshire Council, Steve Ardagh-Walter, said: “In line with Government guidance, the decision to reopen the recycling sites has been a priority for the council.
“Staff at the recycling sites will ensure that social distancing guidelines of keeping at least two metres apart are adhered to. Therefore we urge all visitors to please be patient and leave plenty of time for their visit.
“The two sites that are reopening will be open from 9am to 6pm, seven days a week, and we intend to make as many appointment slots as possible available via the council’s website.
"Please be patient if you don’t manage to get a booking initially due to high demand. We will collect as many of the typical household waste types as practicable at the sites when they reopen.
“With the reopening of both sites, it means that anyone with accumulated waste, that cannot safely be stored, can now dispose of it properly. Please remember to only use the sites if you have a valid booking.
“We are grateful to our residents for their patience and continued cooperation during these challenging times.”
The council has issued the following guidance for making your visit run smoothly.
Please ensure you:
Have booked an available appointment online: https://citizen.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip – this will available from Wednesday in the morning.
Check online to see if all waste materials can still be taken to the site.
Check the site layout when loading waste into your car. Use these site maps to help you when packing your vehicle: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.
Check travel times and any restrictions in place. Please arrive at your allocated time that you have booked online and not any earlier. There may be delays accessing the site and possibly queues of waiting vehicles. Please bear with the staff as they work safely on the site to limit contact between people.
Have your permit, or ID and proof of West Berkshire address with you.
Have a copy of your booking confirmation with you – either a print out or on your phone.
Only bring what you can physically carry as we are operating a one person per car restriction – staff cannot help with your waste when you are unloading your vehicle.
Under exceptional circumstances only, and at the sole discretion of site staff, two people may be allowed to leave the vehicle to dispose of the waste, eg if they are removing a heavy or bulky waste item.
Follow the instructions that site staff will give you and also be polite to members of staff.
Observe the social distancing measures in place by keeping at least two metres apart at all times when visiting the recycling centres.
Follow Public Health England guidance – residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus, should not visit household recycling centres.
