North Yorkshire County Council has installed new bright pink bins across the district for people to safely recycle batteries.

The council said punctured batteries are thought to have caused several fires at waste transfer stations and need to be disposed of correctly.

The fluorescent pink bins can be found at 3 household waste recycling centres across the Harrogate district.

The county council said the most important batteries to recycle are lithium-ion batteries found in mobile phones, laptops, and toys – as they are the main cause of battery fires when thrown away inappropriately.

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County Councillor Derek Bastiman, executive member for waste management, said:

“There are serious risks with batteries being disposed of in the general waste stream in wheeled bins and at the HWRCs.

“Although Yorwaste staff do a brilliant job in checking for batteries being disposed in the general waste there are inevitably some that slip through the net. This is why we have introduced these new bins located near the waste and recycling containers.

“Getting into the habit of collecting batteries can be very simple. Try setting up a small container such as an old ice cream tub or plastic bag, and when it’s full take the batteries to one of the sites. Collection points can also be found at supermarkets, schools, DIY centres and local shops.”

For all battery recycling bin locations, click here.

An outbreak of covid among staff working for Harrogate Borough Council has caused delays to waste and recycling collections this week.

In a statement this afternoon, the council said it was the first time a number of staff had fallen victim to the virus in 15 months.

It added some staff were also off sick due to adverse reactions to the vaccine.

The council later said on social media staff were issued with the necessary safety precautions.

It said it hoped to catch up with refuse, recycling and garden collections by the end of Saturday.

The full council statement said:

“You may have seen on social media, or first-hand, that some waste and recycling collections have been delayed this week, and last. Throughout the covid pandemic, our crews have worked tirelessly in all conditions to ensure collections take place as normal.

“By-in-large, this has happened week in, week out with very few delays, while we also adhere to the government’s social distancing guidelines. Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus or have had to self-isolate.

“In addition, some have also suffered adverse reactions to their vaccines. We are doing our very best to catch-up and have recruited volunteers from some of our other services to lend a helping hand with rounds.

“Sadly, for the first time in 15-months, covid has got the better of us and a number of staff have had been taken ill with the virus.

“We are optimistic that we will have all this week’s garden, refuse and recycling collected by close of play on Saturday. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused but hope you understand the position we’re in. We’ll have a further update later in the week.”

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• Avoid recycling centres over Easter, says council

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

E-scooter scourge

Recently I have noticed an increase in the use of electric scooters in the Harrogate town centre.

I am aware that the use of such is illegal on both road and footpath, yet this appears not to be preventing their increased use.

A few months back I was surprised to see one being ridden in the dark by a youth dressed in dark clothing. He seemed to come out of nowhere, riding it down the middle of the road. When I protested all I received was a barrage of foul-mouthed abuse!

Recently my wife and I were forced to step aside for another scooter rider, who crossed West Park from the Stray, using the crossing, but then entered back on to the road in Tower Street.

I’ve tried to find a police officer to ask what is being done to keep us safe from this blight. I couldn’t find one! I’ve reported my near misses, using NYP’s online system, but haven’t had a reply!

Could you find out what their plan is?

Richard Abbott, Harrogate

Use ornamental gravel instead of fake grass

A good alternative to the fake grass in the planters in Harrogate would be ornamental gravel. Easy to maintain and not costly. It would look much more attractive than plastic grass.

Sylvia Barnes, Knaresborough

Random approach to recycling 

We need investigative journalism

Well done for pursuing council secrecy with your articles this week — good investigative journalism.

Hardly anyone in North Yorkshire got the chance to elect councillors this time round “because it would be confusing with an impending change of government structure [in two years]”.  We need journalists to keep up the pressure.

Bob Hankinson, Harrogate

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Malcolm’s history walks are a real treat

How fortunate we are to have local historian, Malcolm Neesam, who is so interested in the history of Harrogate that we can all enjoy two virtual walks with his knowledge of the town.

The walks are beautifully set up on the best website I have seen with maps, photos and information clearly displayed. A real treat!

Thank you, Malcolm!

Audrey Culling, Nidderdale 

Recycling rules don’t make recycling easy

We are lucky to have birdsong – do your bit to keep it going

Read more: 

• Local historian creates audio walks celebrating Harrogate’s glorious past
• Fears of fly-tipping in Harrogate district as recycling centres close

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Don’t sell Ripon Spa Baths

Let people and businesses enjoy the Stray!

With reference to Barry Adams’ letter about turning the Stray into an ‘uncontrolled beer garden‘.

As a reminder of the past year, we have endured a pretty significant event in our history. Living through a pandemic, through lockdown and (understandably) having limited travel enforcements, it’s been a pretty torrid time. The proposal, which I understand was knocked back by the Duchy of Lancaster, provided a way of establishing some level of normality and relief.

I’m always amazed when people want to prevent the enjoyment of others. Our town is gifted with a huge piece of land, yet some people feel it’s their place to make sure others can’t make full use of it. Grass grows back; we learned this from the after events of the UCI Cycling Championship. You’d never know it took place.

I think it’s a shame that the Duchy didn’t let these proposals go ahead. It would have been an uplift for the town. The Stray needs to be considered an area for common enjoyment, not some kind of area to be looked at from a distance or at speed. It’s great to see folk of all ages using the Stray for whatever sort of celebration. If there was ever a good time to make full use of the Stray, it’s now.

Stu Mitchell, Pannal Ash

Never a better time than now to open up the Stray

The Stray IS for the people’s benefit, surely? We need to be outdoors as much as possible. The alternative? Little space outdoors means more people indoors = more possibility of infection rates going up.

There was never a better reason for opening the Stray than for such a purpose, in my view.

Has this person not heard of the many events held on the Stray where people buy drinks, and food?

Please, Harrogate, let the people use this tiny slither of the Stray for their health, if nothing else.

Teresa Liddell Shepherd, Harrogate

Recycling rules

I queued to get into the Wetherby Road recycling depot with a fridge in a trailer. No trailers were allowed but I managed to get rid of it anyway.

Maybe I have just fallen foul of a rule which has been in for a while but I wonder how the council expects people to get rid of bulky items, which won’t go in a small car or are too dirty, eg too many clippings for the fortnightly green bin collection or too wet and leafy to decently burn and would have gone into the large recycling skips.

Trivial but infuriating.

Pete Dennis, Harrogate

Got an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Harrogate District Hospital has ordered a machine that turns single use plastics, including face masks, into reusable material.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is one of eight health trusts pioneering the new technology.

Covid has forced hospital staff to use far more personal protective equipment (PPE).

But some face masks are thrown away after just a few hours.

Research from a waste company suggested the UK throws away 53 million masks every day and just 10% are recycled.

Official government guidance urges people to dispose of face masks as waste rather than recycling.

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But with so many masks going to landfill and incinerators, hospitals have turned to Cardiff company TCG Solutions’ new machine.

Called a Sterimelt, it melts down polypropylene, which is a material used in the manufacture of face masks, into solid blocks of plastic that can be repurposed and used as items such as bins.

Philip Davison-Sebry, founder and managing director of the company, said:

“What was once going out to landfill, can now be turned into new material.”

The machine, which costs £55,000, turns polypropylene into reusable plastic blocks, which can be used to make bins, chairs and other items.

Although the machine is not up and running yet in Harrogate, the trust hopes to start recycling as soon as possible.

People in the Harrogate district have been advised to avoid household recycling centres this weekend because of expected queues.

North Yorkshire County Council’s 20 recycling centres remain open during lockdown but queueing systems to comply with social distance guidelines have caused tailbacks.

The Harrogate district has three centres: Wetherby Road and Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Crescent in Ripon.

Queues at the recycling centre on Wetherby Road. Photo: Mark Westerman

Councillor Andrew Lee, executive member for open to business, said:

“We expect the household waste recycling centres to be extremely busy over the holiday weekend, as Easter is always a busy time.

“Given the rules in place to ensure the sites can operate safely, this will inevitably lead to queues.

“We’re asking people to consider whether they really need to visit their household waste recycling centre this weekend. Could you keep the waste at home for another week or so and take it at a less busy time?”

The centres moved to summer opening hours today, meaning they are now open from 8.30am to 5pm every day except Wednesdays.

Hannah Corlett, spokesperson for the Harrogate and District Green Party said the location of the centres was the main issue. She said:

“I know people from Ripon who have travelled all the way to Bedale recycling centres because the queues are so large so we should be asking why the centres are where they are.

“These high traffic areas are a bad place for them if they’re causing such big queues.

“Asking people to avoid them this weekend also sends a bad message about accessibility. Lots of people don’t have time to travel to their local recycling centre and so more and smaller recycling centres would probably be a better option.”

Pateley Bridge Town Council is urging people to stop dumping domestic rubbish in recycling bins.

Town Mayor, Councillor Mike Holt, told the Stray Ferret that Pateley’s recycling site was being used for fly-tipping, which is a criminal offence.

He said:

“I am asking everyone to help us in trying to stop this abuse so that we can retain and enjoy this facility, for which we all pay for through our rates.”

At a virtual meeting on Tuesday, the council discussed correspondence from a parishioner about the untidy state of the recycling area on Southlands, at the bottom of High Street.

It’s a complaint received by the council several times and from many different sources.

The recycling bins in Southlands are provided by Harrogate Borough Council for domestic use only (Photograph: Councillor Stanley Lumley)

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Cllr Holt said:

“Pateley Bridge retains this facility because we have some residents who do not receive the benefit of a street-side recycling collection service. The recycling facility is expensive, and Harrogate Borough Council have closed many similar centres throughout the district.

“We do not want to lose this benefit to our town, but it will happen if it continues to be abused.

“Residents can report fly tipping by calling 01423 500600, or by email to customerservices@harrogate.gov.uk. More information is available on the HBC website and I urge everyone to try and help reduce the abuse of this area in our town.”

Council tax payers will have to pick up the removal costs after fly tippers dumped items on a site on the corner of Priest Lane and Stonebridgegate in Ripon.

The secluded area of grass and trees, little more than 100 yards from the city’s police station, has had a sofa and chair and other house clearance-style items deposited on it for some days, and has been reported to Harrogate Borough Council by local residents.

One resident, who did not want to be named, told The Stray Ferret:

“It’s an absolute mess and I just can’t understand the mentality of the person or persons who did this. It looks like somebody has moved house and just couldn’t be bothered to take their unwanted items to the tip.”

They added:

“I’ve reported it to the council and hope that they come and clear the eyesore as quickly as possible – it’s been here for a few days now.”

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A spokesperson for the council said that the tipped items would be removed as soon as possible. He said:

“Fly tipping is a serious criminal offence. We have the power to seize vehicles, issue a fixed penalty notice of £400 or to prosecute. This could result in an unlimited fine and/or up to five years in prison.”

An initiative named Operation Eyeball has been formed to tackle fly tipping in rural parts of North Yorkshire and anybody who witnesses this criminal activity is asked to report it at www.harrogate.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling the council on 01423 500600.