Consider reopening household waste/recycling areas

Many people have been utilising their time at home to clear out their clutter. It would be a shame to see the emergence of more “fly tipping” as people seek to find ways of getting rid of their rubbish. I would imagine it could be fairly easy to manage social distancing etc at household waste sites.

Why the contribution is important

To avoid any problems with “fly tipping”

by MichelleBaron on May 05, 2020 at 01:12PM

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Average rating: 4.8
Based on: 260 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Rhoda May 05, 2020 at 13:16

    having seen evidence of this I would urge either more kerbside collections, free, or limited opening of waste centres

  • Posted by Mosmith May 05, 2020 at 13:16

    Agree, there is a clear increase in fly tipping in my area.

  • Posted by Switchqueen May 05, 2020 at 13:16

    At least in my experience, I have never been within 2m of anyone else while recycling my household waste. I assume sunlight, rain, etc, would help make the waste safer for employees.

  • Posted by HighlandLaddie May 05, 2020 at 13:16

    100% agree

  • Posted by Aileen77 May 05, 2020 at 13:16

    Social distancing should be in place, allow certain area maybe by postcode set times to attend

  • Posted by Jane May 05, 2020 at 13:19

    Fully support - councils could introduce safe systems in these already carefully managed facilities and maybe even appoint slots aligned with car registration. People should travel alone in their car to the facility.

  • Posted by forest May 05, 2020 at 13:20

    This need to happen as soon as possible. There are many many people in local authorities who currently can't do their normal job who could help make this happen

  • Posted by Nicola0110 May 05, 2020 at 13:21

    I think this is a reasonable step especially given the pressures on councils to collect excess waste and the fact that they have reopened some tips in England. Controlling the amount of people entering the site should be able to enforce social distance but you can also ask masks to be worn

  • Posted by Jimmywaugh May 05, 2020 at 13:23

    Can be combined in many areas with the essential shop journey.

  • Posted by IainF May 05, 2020 at 13:25

    I agree this is a priority. The incidence of fly tipping is on the increase and as pointed out, civic amenity sites can be managed without too much difficulty. All local authorities must open them at the same time to avoid a single area being swamped with vehicles.

  • Posted by Mumandnan May 05, 2020 at 13:26

    I see so many waste bins overflowing on my daily walk, which could encourage rats etc, our waste bins are emptied still, so why not allow recycling sites and outside waste bins to be emptied safety.

  • Posted by Ruthfoxek May 05, 2020 at 13:27

    Think this should be allowed but maybe an appointment system

  • Posted by Fiona May 05, 2020 at 13:28

    Recycling centres could have different days for different types of waste thereby eliminating the need for the public to walk between bays. One car per bay. This would reduce the number of fly tipping instances that appear to be on the increase and also allow households to continue to work on their properties and reduce the burden on councils with waste pickup

  • Posted by NormanCoburn May 05, 2020 at 13:28

    Really urgent this happens soon. We're starting to be abandoned debris and the tips could reopen with minimal contact with staff. Perhaps run a one car out, one car in policy

  • Posted by LBE May 05, 2020 at 13:30

    Social distancing should be easily achievable/manageable to allow this. There may be a subsidiary public health issue sometime soon with fly tipping and overflowing bins so it does seem like a relatively easy ‘win’ to look at facilitating opening of civic recycling / waste centres sooner rather than later

  • Posted by Ehall1979 May 05, 2020 at 13:32

    100% agree with this too. It should be possible to safely resume recycling/waste services without risking breaking social distancing rules.

  • Posted by Julietbravo May 05, 2020 at 13:33

    There are only a few guys at recycling it's rarely busy and too much rubbish is accumulating meantime. Builders a d tradesmen still.working in my area regularly dump stuff at communal bins

  • Posted by Belladonna May 05, 2020 at 13:36

    What about the many people in the country who do not have a car? How do you expect them to be able to get their bulk waste to a recycling depot? anything put in place should be combined with a co-ordinated council doorstep collection for those unable to access their local depot.

  • Posted by shionafreeman May 05, 2020 at 13:36

    I agree recycling centers should open asap. Fly tipping is becoming rife and it may cost more to clear it all up than it would to set up social distancing at a recycling center. We are all producing more waste with being at home more, and increased packaging from increased on line shopping quickly fills the bin. Perhaps households could have a pass issued that gives access to a specific recycling center on set days, keeping key workers needs in mind of course as they would not be so able to access during normal 9-5 hours. this may keep queues down.

  • Posted by jamezon May 05, 2020 at 13:39

    A good idea. Most councils only closed tips under the guise of 'focusing resources'. Minimal risk and numbers can be throttles as required at the gate houses.

  • Posted by Braefoot May 05, 2020 at 13:47

    Agreed

  • Posted by lisamcravey May 05, 2020 at 13:47

    Fully support. Either that or increased home refuse collection - we are currently operating on reduced, and have nowhere to take waste. It's not hard to see why people are having to fly tip, I have a shed full of rubbish in my garden with nowhere to go.

  • Posted by AlbaOwl May 05, 2020 at 13:54

    Should be a priority for the sake of the environmemt.

  • Posted by Richs May 05, 2020 at 13:56

    This is a good idea and can easily be done safely, speaking for our local recycling Centre staff don’t come near cars anyway and can easy put in place regular 30min closure to carry out necessary work. Lots of fly tipping and this in itself will cause problems Would need to control access to prevent scenes that were similar to B&Q openings .

  • Posted by Richs May 05, 2020 at 13:57

    This is a good idea and can easily be done safely, speaking for our local recycling Centre staff don’t come near cars anyway and can easy put in place regular 30min closure to carry out necessary work. Lots of fly tipping and this in itself will cause problems Would need to control access to prevent scenes that were similar to B&Q openings .

  • Posted by AliH68 May 05, 2020 at 14:06

    Totally agree for all the reasons stated above.

  • Posted by Flopster May 05, 2020 at 14:15

    This is essential. The recycling centres in our county are already set up in such a way that skips can only really be used by one person at a time, are well-spaced, and encounters with staff are rare anyway. A few modifications would not be difficult if needed.

  • Posted by thespidersays May 05, 2020 at 14:23

    Absolutely essential to reopen waste and recycling facilities. The increase in fly-tipping nationally provides some horrifying statistics. We have worked long and hard to instill proper habits of waste disposal and recycling, especially in Scotland where environmental policy is treated with the seriousness it deserves. To let the current crisis do significant damage to our recycling policy would be appalling, especially as waste disposal facilities are outside, making it all the easier for people to adhere to distancing guidelines. Councils should also endeavour to bring back kerbside recycling absolutely as soon as possible, for similar reasons.

  • Posted by AngusSpence May 05, 2020 at 14:28

    This is a must and can be easily controlled as most descent sites are now traffic controlled and managed. The countryside is already a tip and the massive increase in fly tipping will triple the problem. They must be re opened immediately.

  • Posted by joemaceachen May 05, 2020 at 14:46

    I feel recycling centres need to be re-opened with Social Distancing as soon as it is deemed safe to do so. There is evidence of fly- tipping throughout the country that since recycling centres have been closed. As we all know fly-tipping is a nuisance, is against the law and can lead to health hazards caused by infestations of insects and increase of vermin such as rats

  • Posted by yewtree May 05, 2020 at 15:02

    All the extra work carried out in gardens is generating a lot of "green" waste. Recycling centres should open to allow for recycling this waste.

  • Posted by Poligrrl May 05, 2020 at 15:13

    UK government have published their advice to LA's in England today on reopening waste and recycling centres now:

    https://www.gov.uk/governme[…]ronavirus-covid-19-pandemic

  • Posted by Fletch May 05, 2020 at 15:50

    Recycling centres should definitely re-open. I know we all have local uplift collections for rubbish, but many people have a lot of rubbish and recycling. It’s terrible that people fly tip and dump their rubbish, doing that only encourages vermin. The recycling centre that I use is well laid out and never particularly busy, I would say that keeping a social distance is relatively easy (no worse than being at the supermarket) so surely they could re-open.

  • Posted by Islander May 05, 2020 at 18:48

    Yes essential fly tipping on the rise

  • Posted by steves01x May 05, 2020 at 21:09

    100%

    I like one of the above proposed ideas - different days for different waste. Would be no need for any social distancing measures as each car would just pull up to what ever skip was empty and chuck their rubbish in it.

    Longer opening hours during these light nights as well to spread the volume of traffic out.

  • Posted by coa May 05, 2020 at 21:13

    People have plenty of time for DIY projects, clearing out and working in the garden, all of which generate waste. With a bit of planning, it should be fairly easy to maintain social distancing at recycling centres.

  • Posted by lmjdear May 06, 2020 at 07:20

    yes...its essential they open or councils need to increase waste uplifts. there is practically no interaction with staff/others at a tip after all.

  • Posted by islajsmillie May 06, 2020 at 10:39

    Waste services need to be reintroduced.... they should have been kept open with social distancing/ limiting number of cars at a time etc. All shutting them for 6 weeks has done has allowed excess household and garden waste to build up. Now there is a 6 week backlog of waste to be cleared, forget the 2 hour queues at costa and B&Q it will be 2 hour queues at the tip!

  • Posted by AnnaKucharska May 06, 2020 at 10:46

    They should be opened ASAP, can’t imagine why they were shut in the first place, very bad idea.

  • Posted by LauraJones May 06, 2020 at 11:52

    Yes.social distancing can be kept here easy enough

  • Posted by AM22 May 06, 2020 at 12:14

    With social distancing measures they should be open. With lock down in place have had plenty of time to clear out and do the garden so a visit to waste recycling would be welcomed.

  • Posted by GeoffDuke May 06, 2020 at 13:07

    As long as sites are in open air, i cannot see why they are still closed when places like B&Q are open. Like many others, we have cleared out some clutter, but certain items need to be taken to a site to be disposed of.

  • Posted by andrewtlloyd May 06, 2020 at 14:07

    Agree. These could easily reopen. If my local Tesco can cope with social distancing them certain my local dump can. My local council (Stirling) has reduced the collection frequency during the lock-down (including zero collection of glass and garden waste). Inevitably, there will be a significant back-log to clear. Hence, the sooner that the dumps can be safely re-opened the better.

  • Posted by The_Guru May 06, 2020 at 14:22

    Of course, they should open, but you need to remember that not everyone has a car. All household bin collections should be restarted. I can't help but wonder how seriously local councils take looking after our environment and our planet.

  • Posted by DeeDee May 06, 2020 at 14:34

    Re-open the tips as a lot of people actually drive past them to get to the supermarket as we do - one car in, one car out then carry on with your trip.

  • Posted by jrob May 06, 2020 at 15:10

    Completely agree.

  • Posted by Colin87 May 06, 2020 at 20:47

    Agreed. It should be relatively easy to control the vehicles at recycling centres to ensure social distancing . This will decrease fly tipping

  • Posted by MrsT85 May 06, 2020 at 21:55

    I agree. This is one resource that could be operated easily within social distance guidelines. Fly tipping is on the increase and some households have significant household and garden waste building up due to no notice being given for the closure. Opening the dumps/recycling centres would decrease both issues.

  • Posted by VeeGee May 06, 2020 at 22:04

    I have never come into 2 m of anyone when I've visited the tip before. Why can they not be opened and allow people to clear out their houses /garages/Gardens while they are at home? Surely staff at the recycling centre will be able to social distance appropriately.

  • Posted by neesk May 06, 2020 at 22:33

    Definitely agree. Social distancing is never an issue at any tip/recycling centre that I've been to, and you're always washing/sanitising your hands there too! I currently have 2 cupboards full of plastic/paper waste (that doesn't fit in the communal blue bins) and I'm very tempted not to recycle them as I want the rubbish gone.

  • Posted by Magsathome May 06, 2020 at 22:38

    This is essential to reduce the rapidly increasing fly tipping everywhere. In due course the refuse collection sector will require to clear the fly tipping so why not just resolve that issue now. Socialdistancing should be able to operate quite easily

  • Posted by tommo May 06, 2020 at 23:44

    If the services for removing skips etc from local recycling centres are available, then it should be fairly straightforward to reopen recycling centres such that they are compliant with current restrictions. In particular, with DIY centres now open, the need for responsible recycling facilities is essential to avoid the cost and environmental impact of dumping/fly-tipping.

  • Posted by Johnston May 07, 2020 at 07:37

    Agree we are going to end up with other diseases if recycling centres don’t open and also increased bin collections
    People being irresponsible fly tipping including dumping foodstuffs encouraging vermin as they do not have usual sources of food with restaurants closed so moving into urban areas

  • Posted by StaceyM91 May 07, 2020 at 08:41

    Agree. 4 of us in one small space are generating much more waste than usual.

    We also have bulk items needing removed after spending our time clearing out children’s things. If we could request uplifts, or were allowed (on a one in one out basis) to take these away ourselves, being home would be easier.

  • Posted by DennisThecat May 07, 2020 at 10:15

    Get the curbside collections back up and running as well

  • Posted by snapier May 07, 2020 at 11:02

    Essential - there is no reason why recycling centres cannot reopen. Staff need to social distance and people would need to queue before unloading refuse.

  • Posted by NKTC May 07, 2020 at 11:39

    Totally agree - open waste facilities with strict distancing rules and safety measures to protect staff and if that is not practical, get more kerbside collections going (perhaps using commercial waste companies where councils do not have capacity).

  • Posted by michelle560 May 07, 2020 at 13:43

    Totally agree these should be re-opened. I hardly ever used to come near other users so it wouldn't be difficult to have a member of staff control the number of cars and people unloading. Just like supermarkets control entry. The rest queue outside and wait their turn. Particularly important now garden waste is starting to build up due to time of year.

  • Posted by cameronn1 May 07, 2020 at 14:54

    Totally agree that this is important. if they don't reopen soon they are only delaying very long queues and more work for refuse staff having to deal with fly tipping. Don't recall ever coming into close contact with staff or other users at the dumps I have used in the past. Coupled with us all being at home more thus more general rubbish/recycling without the increase in bin pick ups to cope with this.

  • Posted by Zurburu May 07, 2020 at 19:44

    Needs to be managed carefully but an online booking system is being used eg in Bedford. Other councils are laying on extra tidy tip facilities eg in leisure centre car parks which are easier to access for those without cars

  • Posted by NH May 07, 2020 at 20:31

    Agree that the council should be able to manage distancing. Want to avoid fly tipping.

  • Posted by Brian1977 May 07, 2020 at 21:22

    Agreed. The workmen should be used to manage social distancing and the flow of traffic. Failure to re-open these facilities is only storing up a bigger problem for the future. With warmer weather we can expect fly problems to develop on material fly-tipped! Another way to spread disease.

  • Posted by Gesabrek May 08, 2020 at 06:41

    Can't understand why this was stopped along with the usual bin collections. The recycling messages seem to have been thrown into landfill.

  • Posted by MaryL May 08, 2020 at 10:33

    This is an "essential" service without doubt. Who could possibly argue otherwise?

  • Posted by Aud May 08, 2020 at 12:45

    This is an essential service and they should be open but with social distancing and with the safety of all staff and all users in mind.

  • Posted by paulch May 08, 2020 at 13:26

    Agree. This is an essential service and limiting the number of people entering at a time (also 1 person per car) would keep social distancing.

    Fly tipping noticed in my area.

  • Posted by BeataK May 08, 2020 at 13:56

    Why are these even closed? Bishopbriggs recycling centre had maybe two staff out in the open air, plenty of space for social distancing,

  • Posted by FM79 May 08, 2020 at 14:02

    Agree as fly tipping and people burning rubbish is getting out of hand. No reason Council tips can't open and adhere to safe social distancing guidelines

  • Posted by TaysideLoon May 08, 2020 at 17:21

    Agreed. It should be possible to re-open recycling sites safely

  • Posted by Scobz May 08, 2020 at 17:42

    Critical to general environmental health.

  • Posted by Norrab33 May 08, 2020 at 18:00

    Agree. Open as soon as social distancing measures can be put in place.

  • Posted by Tara May 08, 2020 at 18:35

    Having seen the photos and news stories of English tips open and people queuing for miles and from 0330, this is a bad idea. Will encourage more people to visit DIY stores

  • Posted by FM79 May 09, 2020 at 09:29

    Agree, no reason they can't open now whilst adhering to safe social distancing guidelines

  • Posted by NAK May 09, 2020 at 12:05

    It may be necessary to accept that more waste is sent to landfill/incineration at recycling centres and less actually recycled whilst the backlog is cleared.

    If the objective is to reduce flytipping then capturing some recyclates is probably a low priority. High value (metals), or highly polluting materials (paints and oils) should be segregated, but low value items such as glass may be too slow to capture unless there are more bottle banks and they are able to be more rapidly cleared than at present.

    Garden waste might benefit from conventional skips deployed in neighbourhoods rather than taking it to the recycling centres and clogging those processes up with clippings and organic matter. It is low value and of limited polluting potential so 'on farm' storage pro-tem might be needed.

  • Posted by waxwing May 09, 2020 at 15:57

    Absolutely. Social distancing should be easy to arrange at most recycling sites. I hardly ever go within 5m of anyone at our local site, never mind 2m.

  • Posted by sixboys May 09, 2020 at 19:16

    please start kerbside collections for recycling / plastics again. Not everyone can get to the recycling centres and we have several weeks of material which really should not go to landfill. We have a shed for the excess, people in flats and cities do not.

  • Posted by conniel May 10, 2020 at 11:15

    I agree that reopening recycling centres and restarting kerbside collections is important to encourage responsible disposal of waste and to prevent an increase in fly-tipping.

  • Posted by bodach71 May 10, 2020 at 12:05

    Given the obvious increase in fly-tipping event in all areas at present, I fully support opening of Recycling Centres. This would be on the basis of a common approach being taken by all Councils in tandem with each other and suitable control policies being implemented at each site.

  • Posted by huntlyquine May 10, 2020 at 17:03

    I agree that this should be a priority especially as many people are doing gardening and some are having unhealthy bonfires to get rid of green waste

  • Posted by kpm321 May 10, 2020 at 17:10

    I agree. Social distancing would be easy to arrange at most recycling centres.

  • Posted by Invicta May 10, 2020 at 20:22

    100% agree. Many folk are using the lockdown to get on with home improvements. The honest are stacking up the debris in their front gardens. The dishonest are flytipping in local beauty spots and it is DISGUSTING. Because some are private land the council will no doubt wriggle out of collecting the rubbish. Our tip is just at the back of Tesco so most folk would scarcely have to make a "non-essential" journey to it. Re-opening tips should be high priority.

  • Posted by jeankemp May 11, 2020 at 01:11

    Good idea IF it can be done safely without danger to those working there. However, workers should not return to work until a good TTI programme is firmly established.

  • Posted by eildontreerymer May 11, 2020 at 09:12

    There can be no good reason that local authorities could not have worked out a way of staggering visits to trips - they do it by letters on car number plates in parts of France. They could also have been looking at ways to tell visitors whether a tip is busy (they've done this by CCTV cameras viewable at home in parts of England). The Scottish Government should be ordering local authorities to plan for responsible re-opening of sites.

  • Posted by sconnor May 11, 2020 at 12:46

    In the absence of garden waste collections local authorities should be encouraging households to double up and use this bin as a general waste receptacle.

    Local authorities should be encouraging all refuse to be collected throughout this current lockdown as a result of increased waste being produced. Households should not be expected to retain waste due to overflowing bins so long as refuse is disposed of accordingly (i.e. in bags).

  • Posted by JuliaM May 11, 2020 at 13:16

    Such a lot of local fly tipping. Also companies charging to remove waste. Where does this end up?

    It wouldn't be difficult to monitor entry to local recycling centres although there may be a big queue at first!

    Each Council has different arrangements for bin collection. Edinburgh stopped green waste collection even though the residents pay an annual fee! Fife continued on a monthly instead of usual bi-weekly collection which us not charged separately to Council tax. There is no consistency between areas, like the school holidays!

  • Posted by rad70 May 11, 2020 at 14:11

    Agree and recycling should be encouraged.

  • Posted by Stargazer1960 May 11, 2020 at 15:24

    I believe this could be achieved in a suitable and safe manner. Many recycling centres closed to enable staff to be redeployed elsewhere. Perhaps this is no longer required.

  • Posted by Brett May 11, 2020 at 18:24

    Normal household waste collections have been maintained. Perhaps as an alternative to re-opening recycling areas. The frequency of collections can be increased. With particular focus on food and non recyclable general waste collections.

    Households are generating more waste at home due to the increased time they are spending there. Some of which can be attributed to home improvements made at this time. Although it should be noted that the waste normally attributable to them in work now occurs at home.

    As soon as any changes can be made here they would be most welcome. Until then it is sensible to continue with current restrictions in place.

  • Posted by Rolca123 May 11, 2020 at 19:05

    I am really not sure why recycling centres were even closed in the first place? Surely waste services were outlined as essential services. Perhaps I am misinformed but, they should be allowed to reopen. Or, rather told to!

  • Posted by sandraed May 11, 2020 at 20:27

    We have de-cluttered and need a new mattress but cannot get one until we can get rid of the old one. Having the recycling plants open would be a big boon for us. Decluttering the house is decluttering the mind.
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