Council awaits detail on Government’s plan to reopen HRCs
Telford & Wrekin Council is awaiting clarity from the Government on how and when local councils are to reopen household recycling centres, following an announcement yesterday that it wants them reopened as soon as possible.
Last week, the Council’s leader called for the Government to give more clarity on this issue, and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has now told councils to start planning for their organised reopening.
The Secretary of State told Parliament on Tuesday that he expected this to happen in the “coming weeks” and that new guidance for councils would be issued “shortly”.
Telford & Wrekin Council has already been working with its waste partner Veolia to consider how it can safely organise the reopening of its two household recycling centres, which have been closed since 24 March.
Council leader Shaun Davies said: “We’re pleased the Government has listened to our request last week, but there is still no clear guidance from them on how this should be managed. We are ahead of the curve and have a plan that we hope to finalise soon.
“The health and safety of site staff and visitors remains our top priority and are key consideration in our discussions with Veolia. Having clearer guidance from the Government would have helped these discussions.”
Cllr Lee Carter cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, added: “As the Government is now asking councils to reopen HRCs, we will need more staff on site and traffic management to ensure it can happen safely for everyone concerned.
“While I am sure HRC sites opening will be welcomed by many people, it’s likely to mean more costs to local councils, so the Government must be clear if they will help councils to meet any additional costs.
“We also need reassurance that companies that process recycled waste from council tips are ready to reopen to accept the significant quantities of waste and recycling that will have built up during the lockdown.”
“As soon as we have finalised the details of when we will be opening our two sites, we will let residents know. When we do reopen Government rules on essential journeys only and two metre distancing will apply to HRCs, so it won’t be “business as usual” and anyone using these is likely to face queues.
“There will be rules and restrictions in place that people will need to know about and we will share these soon as possible.
“In the meantime, I encourage all residents to make maximum use of their kerbside collections. Many councils have cut these back because of the pandemic but our purple top bin, green and food waste and cardboard recycling collections have all kept going.
“Latest figures show green wastecollections are up in excess of 200% and other recycling up 28% so thank you to all residents who are supporting this.”
More information will be published on Telford & Wrekin Council’s website and its social media channels @TelfordWrekin.
