Recycling Centres to Re-Open

There will also be other restrictions on how people can use the sites.

A booking system is now open, with bookings available online or by calling the council’s customer service centre on 0300 123 6781.

People will be given a 30 minute window in which to visit, with the number of appointments available being limited to allow staff to check people’s details on arrival and manage their movement around the site to ensure social distancing.

12 of the usual network of 16 sites will be reopening, with sites at Carnforth, Garstang, Haslingden, and Longridge, remaining closed.

The council is operating a slightly reduced network because each site now needs more staff to be able to operate safely and effectively. These four facilities are among the quietest in terms of visitor numbers, have easily accessible alternative facilities, or present specific challenges in terms of operating safely while maintaining social distancing. Whilst they will remain closed initially everyone will still have access to a recycling centre within reasonable reach of where they live. The council intends to learn from how the other sites operate to consider how these sites can also be reopened safely.

People are being asked to only book a visit if they have an essential need to dispose of some excess waste, as demand is expected to be very high.

There are also restrictions on how people use the sites.

• People will be asked to only bring one type of waste per visit. Visitors will not be able to walk freely around the site as they could previously. This is because the sites have been reconfigured to ensure social distancing, and visitors will be asked to drive up to the particular skip they need.
• People can only visit by car, with a complete ban on the use of all trailers and vans. Access to the sites will be controlled using vehicle registration numbers.
• People cannot bring construction and demolition waste, also known as inert waste, and plaster, plasterboard or asbestos, and the usual permit system allowing people to bring limited amounts of this waste will not be operating.
• People will need to carry their waste from their car to the skip as staff will not be able to help.
• People will be limited to one visit per calendar week, and cannot book multiple visits by choosing different sites.
• People must not visit if they have any symptoms of coronavirus or should be self-isolating.

The council is also highlighting that it will be enforcing a zero tolerance approach to any abuse or aggression towards staff.

Each site will open on the same days, and during the same hours, as under normal circumstances, with full details available on the council’s website.

The sites which will can be visited from Friday by anyone with an appointment are as follows: Altham, Barnoldswick, Burscough, Burnley, Chorley, Clitheroe, Farington, Fleetwood, Lytham, Lancaster, Preston, Skelmersdale.