Wakefield Council tips to re-open next week

Wakefield Council is asking people not to visit the sites unless absolutely necessary, and a booking system could be introduced if they become overrun.

Leader of the council, Coun Denise Jeffery said: “We know how important it is to residents to be able to dispose of excess rubbish properly, especially with more people staying at home during lockdown.

“As we move into the managing the next phase of the coronavirus outbreak, we, and our partners at Renewi, have been able to reprioritise our resources to enable us to reopen the recycling centres.

“We have worked very hard to get the sites open again, although the way we operate them will need to be different to protect residents and staff.

“People have been incredibly understanding when we needed to shut the sites and we ask that you continue to bear with us. We fully expect there will be long queues and ask for everyone to be patient and considerate.”

The sites in Wakefield, South Kirkby and Glass Houghton, will re-open from 8am on Monday, May 11.

To support the Government’s guidance on social distancing, a reduced number of cars only will be allowed on site.

The council asks that only one person, per vehicle, visits the site unless there is impaired mobility.

As part of the social distancing, no help will be available at the site to unload and everyone is asked to maintain a two-metre distance between themselves and others at all times.

Wakefield Council is putting traffic management in place on the main roads that access the three sites to try and minimise the impact.

However, it is expected that there will be congestion and people are asked to avoid the area and only come to the site if absolutely necessary.

Anyone bringing waste to the site must bring their permit or proof of address with them.

No cars can be allowed access on to the site without this.

Coun Jeffery added: “Unless you urgently need to come to the sites, we suggest that you leave it a few weeks for the queues to settle down. If you do need to come, please be patient and mindful of others.

“The most important thing is that everyone stays safe, and any restrictions we have in place are for the safety of people using the site and the staff so, please work with us and follow the instructions on site to help us all operate safely.”

It comes after Leeds City Council and Kirklees Council announced they would also be opening their sites.