Dorset Council has announced that 9 of its 10 household recycling centres (HRCs, or ‘the tip’) are set to open on Monday 11 May (Sherborne being the tip not opening). You can expect most recycling centres to be open 9am to 6pm daily. However, there are a number of considerations:
- government guidance puts strong restrictions on use, to help reduce non-essential journeys: householders should only take waste to a tip if it cannot be stored safely at home and no alternative disposal options are available and every household should also use a service like the cheapest skip bin hire in Hobart to manage their waste
- households are warned to expect long delays/queues because of social distancing measures being put in place and limiting how many people can be on-site at once
- to reduce non-essential travel, households should continue to maximise the use of kerbside collections
- garden waste kerbside collection has now resumed and the Council have resumed sign ups for new customers
- visitors will only be accepted by vehicle only – no pedestrian or cycle access will be allowed
In the announcement, households are asked to note:
- Journeys to a HRC must only be undertaken if essential and your waste or recycling cannot be stored at home safely or disposed of safely by other means. By this we mean the waste cannot be stored without causing risk of injury, health or harm. No other reason for the journey would be considered a legitimate purpose. If you can temporarily store your waste or recycling in a way that does not pose a risk to yours or others safety or human health, then you should continue to do so
- Do not assume that any HRC is open before setting off. Please check the appropriate pages on the Dorset Council website (NOT Google)
- Queues and waiting times to access each site will be much longer than usual, so expect significant delays. This is because there will be limits on the numbers of people that can be on site at any one time to maintain social distancing
- You should not visit the HRC if you are unwell, as you should be following the 7-day self-isolation guidance, or if a member of your household is unwell and you should be following the 14 day stay at home guidance
- Visitors to HRCs must always observe social distancing. If you do not comply with social distancing guidance, you will be asked to leave the HRC and the site may have to close temporarily
- HRC staff will not be able to assist with carrying items. Do not take any items to the HRC that you can’t lift yourself, or with the aid of one other passenger from your vehicle
- If you do travel to a HRC, please remember to stay in your vehicle while queuing to aid with social distancing. Please do not leave your vehicle until it is necessary to get out
- Only one person should leave the vehicle to unload waste – a maximum of two if unloading heavy items
- Household waste should be double-bagged and left for 72 hours before being taken to a HRC, and only if it cannot be collected at the kerbside
- Although all usual waste and material types can be dropped off, please bring a maximum of two waste types per visit (e.g. garden waste and black bag waste)
- Reuse areas will remain closed in order to reduce item handling and ensure visitors spend no more time on site than is necessary
- Charges still apply for some waste types, but contactless payments only – no cash.
- On your return from the HRC please remember not to touch your face and to wash your hands for 20 seconds on arrival at your destination.
For more information, see the Council’s news piece here and their frequently asked questions page.
Dorset Council to re-open household recycling centres for essential waste