Residents urged to stagger visits to household waste recycling centres to avoid queues

Residents are being urged to stagger their visits to Staffordshire’s household waste recycling centres

, to prevent long queues when they reopen tomorrow (Thursday 14 May).

To ensure the safety of the public and staff, the centres will be open for essential use only, and clear and simple rules will be put in place for visitors.

The rules include:

Please only visit if it is essential as initial demand will be high; No trailers or flatbed trucks will be allowed on sites until further notice; One person per vehicle Access will be by vehicle only. No pedestrians allowed A strict, two-metre distance rule will always be in place Materials such as asbestos, oils and paints cannot be accepted at this stage; Only bring items that you can safely load and unload yourself. Staff will be unable to help carry heavy items as it will break social distancing rules; Allow time for queueing.

Mark Deaville, Cabinet Member for Commercial said: “On normal day we would handle around 3,000 visits to our sites, but after several weeks of people doing jobs around the home and in the garden, demand will undoubtedly be high at the recycling centres.

“The number of vehicles permitted on site will be reduced to adhere to social distancing rules, meaning that for many, queuing at the centres is highly likely. To reduce the time queuing, we are asking people to be sensible and stagger the times they visit the centre if they can. Please be patient, and please work with us.

“Visits to the centre should only be essential – if waste can be stored in the garage, garden or by the house please leave it there a little longer until the first wave of demand passes.”

More information about opening times and services can be found here, or by searching for ‘household waste recycling centres’ on the county council website www.staffordshire.gov.uk.