When are you going to reopen the tips?

/ April 9, 2020

Next Friday (May 15) – https://kccmediahub.net/kents-household-waste-recycling-centres-to-open745

The decision to close Kent County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres was not taken lightly.

Recent Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) guidance is that HWRCs are all of medium priority and the top priority remains kerbside collections of household waste.

KCC Cabinet Member for Environment Susan Carey said: “Household Waste and Recycling Centre staff have been redeployed to assist district and borough councils with bin collections to ensure they can maintain a full kerbside waste and recycling collection.

“Government guidance to us all is that people should stay at home and only leave the house for one of four reasons – shopping, exercise, medical need and travelling to work.

“Before the closure of the HWRCs there were an average of 800 visitors a day – up 200 visits that we’d normally expect – to each of our 18 HWRCs resulting in thousands of non-essential car journeys on our roads each day.

“It was impossible to maintain social distancing for both customers and staff and we also had long queues leading out onto the highway.

“We will re-open the Household Waste Recycling Centres as soon as it is safe to do so – as will all local authorities up and down the country.

“Our priority right now is to support the kerbside collections that allow Kent residents to stay at home.

“I am grateful to our district and borough council colleagues who have worked tirelessly to maintain kerbside collections despite the challenges of staff sickness and self-isolation.

“KCC staff are still at work at the Waste Transfer Stations which is where your household waste goes after being collected.

“I hope people will agree that this is the correct priority as any interruption to this service would have an immediate impact on public health.”

On concerns that the closure will lead to an increase in flytipping:

Susan Carey said: “Our position is clear – most residents are law abiding and dispose of their waste appropriately and would never consider flytipping.

“There is still the need for residents to protect themselves from illegal waste carriers who target householders with cheap rates to take their rubbish away and then fly tip it.

“We understand that some people will have perceived fears that flytipping is increasing, but our latest information is that flytipping in the county has shown a slight overall decrease.

“Any amount of flytipping is unacceptable and is also a criminal offence.

“The latest information we have for the Dover district – as being reported as seeing an increase – is that there were 91 cases reported in the last month compared to 98 last year.

“Where possible and safe to do so, all councils will continue to clear flytipping and indeed continue to investigate and take necessary enforcement action.”

Story from April 9.

Residents are being encouraged to hold on to waste they would normally take to their Household Waste and Recycling Centre during the countrywide lockdown.

Kent County Council realises many people will be using their time at home to carry out DIY projects or gardening, but until HWRCs can safely be reopened, people are encouraged to be responsible with their waste.

Cllr Susan Carey

KCC Cabinet Member for Environment Susan Carey said: “I know how much people value our Household Waste Recycling Centres and Easter is normally one of their busiest times. The decision to close them was not taken lightly.

“Government guidance is that people should stay at home and only leave the house for one of four reasons – shopping, exercise, medical need and travelling to work.

“Before the closure we were finding it impossible to maintain social distancing for people visiting the Household Waste Recycling Centres and for our staff. We also had long queues causing safety problems on the highway.

“We will re-open the Household Waste Recycling Centres as soon as it is safe to do so but for the meantime the priority is to support the kerbside collections that allow Kent residents to stay at home.”

To this end, Household Waste and Recycling staff have been redeployed to assist district and borough councils with bin collections to ensure they can maintain a full kerbside waste and recycling collection.

Susan Carey continued: “I am grateful to our district and borough council colleagues who have worked tirelessly to maintain kerbside collections despite the challenges of staff sickness and self-isolation.

“We can all help the collection crews by not overloading bins, only putting bins out at the correct time and sanitising the bin handles.

“KCC staff are still at work at the Waste Transfer Stations which is where your household waste goes after being collected.

“I hope you will agree that this is the correct priority as any interruption to this service would have an immediate impact on public health and we’re really grateful for those front line to staff who continue deliver this essential service.”

KCC understands the concerns of residents that Household Waste Recycling Centre closures will lead to an increase in flytipping.

Susan Carey added: “Our position is clear – the majority of residents are law abiding and keen to dispose of their waste appropriately.

“There is still the need for residents to protect themselves from illegal waste carriers who target householders with cheap rates to take their rubbish away and then fly tip it.

“Our latest information is that flytipping in the county has shown a slight overall decrease with people more aware of illegal waste carriers and other options available to them, such as an upsurge in skip use.

“Where possible and safe to do so, all councils will continue to clear flytipping and indeed continue to investigate and take necessary enforcement action.”

How to safely store waste and recycling:

  • Check your local council’s website for updates on your bin collections (see below for a link to your local)
  • Keep your bins in a secure place, at least one metre away from your property
  • Avoid storing your bins under covered areas, such as porches
  • Don’t overfill your bins or leave loose rubbish around them
  • Never put batteries or electrical items in your bins – store them safely at home until the recycling centres reopen
  • Only put your bins out on collection days and bring them in once they’ve been emptied
  • If you have extra rubbish while the recycling centres are closed, store it securely in a shed or a garage if possible, or in a neat pile at least one metre away from your property

Advice for people living in flats and high-rise properties:

  • Always dispose of your rubbish according to the building arrangements
  • Where you have a communal bin room use it but stay two metres away from neighbours
  • Rubbish should never be stored in corridors, stairs or hallways
  • Do not store flammable materials like gas on your balcony
  • Reduce clutter and keep items on the balcony to a minimum
  • If you smoke, make sure you stub cigarettes out properly and never flick them off your balcony
  • Never put batteries or electrical items in your own bin or communal bins

For the very latest information on our services, be sure to check our service updates page https://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-service-updates

All district councils have their own service update pages with the latest information on the services they provide.

Please see below direct links to yours.

When are you going to reopen the tips? was last modified: May 6th, 2020 by Ellis Stephenson