One of Harrogate’s waste recycling centres will reopen under strict controls along with half of the others in North Yorkshire.
Penny Pot Lane will be the first of Harrogate’s centres to reopen after the Government updated its advice and urged councils to make them safe for the public and for staff.
The centres will be open seven days a week including bank holidays with opening hours be between 8.30am and 5pm.
It will be managed with a queuing system with a cut-off point so if it becomes too long people will be sent back home. Trailers will not be allowed until further notice.
A limited number of people will be able to visit at any one time. Only one person will be allowed out of their vehicle once on-site, and people must remain in their vehicle while queuing.
To support social distancing, site staff will be unable to help with the disposal of waste.
People will be able to separate waste into different skips. The usual rules will apply for chargeable waste. Payment by card will be accepted only, contactless where possible.
Hand sanitising facilities at sites are limited, so people are advised to wear gloves and will be reminded to wash their hands before and after.
Commercial waste will not be accepted at this time. Commercial-like vehicles that are registered with the council will be permitted on site.
North Yorkshire County Council closed all 20 of its centres in March but will reopen ten of them tomorrow.
The council said that it cannot open all of its centres just yet because of their size, layout and proximity to roads but added that this will be reviewed continually with a view to opening more as soon as possible.
The household waste recycling centres to reopen are:
- Catterick Bridge, Gatherley Road, Catterick Bridge, DL10 7JD
- Leeming Bar, Tutin Road, Leeming Bar Industrial Estate, Leeming Bar, DL7 9UJ
- Seamer Carr, Dunslow Road, Eastfield, YO12 4QASelby, Canal Road, Selby, YO8 8AG
- Skipton, Harrogate Road, Skipton, BD23 6AB
- Sowerby, Ox Moor Plantation Lane, Sowerby, Thirsk, YO7 1FA
- Stokesley, 8 Ellerbeck Court, Stokesley Business Park, Stokesley, TS9 5PT (the existing permit system remains in place)
- Thornton le Dale, Outgang Lane, Thornton le Dale, YO18 7QP
- West Harrogate, Penny Pot Lane, Harrogate, HG3 2SN
- Whitby, Discovery Way, Whitby Industrial Estate, Whitby, YO22 4PZ
Councillor Andrew Lee, the executive member for waste management, said:
“I am pleased that we can move forward now, and thank residents for their support of the measures we have taken to date and in anticipation of their continued support to ensure the arrangements we are now putting in place can operate successfully. This will be the first phase of the reopening and we will work to reopen the other sites as soon as we can.”
