Managed reopening of Household Waste Recycling Centres on 15 May

Kent County Council has announced that Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will reopen on 15 May, with careful measures in place aimed at ensuring that the reopening is safe and orderly.

I indicated in my post last week that our overall direction was clear, and that we hoped to publish quickly both an opening date and details of how HWRCs will operate. That is what we have now done.

A new booking system for HWRCs has been developed by Medway Council, with whom KCC has worked closely on this plan. The system will be available to the public from next Wednesday, 13 May, and the sites themselves will be open from Friday 15 May. Residents will be able to book one of four daily slots, and numbers will be managed to ensure social distancing. Most of Kent's 18 HWRCs will be open seven days a week. Initially at least, residents will be able to book only one visit in a four-week period.

As councils had urged, there was a need for clarity in government guidance on HWRCs and on what constitutes a 'necessary journey'. In particular, DEFRA released its guidance yesterday, it's key provision being that:

"It would be reasonable for residents to undertake a journey to a HWRC if the waste or recycling could not be stored safely at home or disposed of through other legitimate routes such as a dedicated collection"

This guidance still therefore encourages a restrained approach to visiting HWRCs, although it does not require or expect either the police or HWRC staff to make a judgement as to whether or not waste being brought to a site meets these criteria. A measured approach by residents, along with the booking system, should help ensure that the reopening is orderly, does not cause traffic problems and protects the safety of both HWRC staff and residents using the service.

Further details will follow in the coming days before the reopening at the end of next week.