Wiltshire Council will launch a new online booking system later this week to allow people to book a visit to any household recycling centre (HRC) in the county, up to three days in advance.
From Thursday 4 June, people will be able to visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/waste and make an advance booking for a slot to visit one of Wiltshire’s household recycling centres. Slots will be available for HRC visits from Monday 8 June onwards and each slot will be available for a 15-minute visit to your chosen HRC. People should turn up on time with ID to confirm their booking, and in the vehicle with the registration number the slot has been booked for.
From Monday 8 June, people will no longer be able to turn up to a HRC without a booking – they must have booked a slot online in advance. Anyone who turns up without a booked slot will not be permitted to access the site.
Booking a slot is easy. From Thursday 4 June, simply visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/waste, choose a preferred HRC and timeslot, enter your vehicle registration details, and confirm your booking. Then, please turn up at your chosen HRC on time (not before) with ID with your address on it, such as a driver’s licence, council tax bill, utility bill (a printed or an electronic version is fine), and your van permit, if you are visiting the site in a van that is under 3.5 tonnes.
As well as these changes, the council has also relaxed some of the changes that have been in place in recent weeks – Stanton St Quinton HRC will be open from Monday 8 June for pre-booked slots only, and HRCs can now accept soil, rubble, plasterboard, textiles and, with notice, asbestos. Other restrictions, including no trailers or vehicles 3.5 tonnes or over, remain in place, and people should follow the current postcode entry system for visits to HRCs before Monday 8 June.
Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Waste, said: “It’s been two weeks since we reopened our household recycling centres, and while we have seen queues, they have been well managed, and I’m pleased to be able to report that most residents have been good humoured and understanding while queuing.
“We have had to implement several social distancing measures and restrictions on each site, which has meant that we can have fewer vehicles on each site at once, which has caused the queues outside of the HRCs while we managed the initial reopening demand.
“However, to alleviate queues in the long-term, we’ve introduced this online booking system that will enable people to book a slot at their chosen household recycling centre three days in advance. This should also save residents time, as they can book a slot, turn up, dispose of their waste and then carry on with their day.
“We expect demand to be very high initially, but new slots are added each day, so if you can’t get a slot, please try again the next day.”
To keep staff and residents safe, and following the latest public health and industry guidance, there are a significant number of measures in place to ensure social distancing at all HRCs. These include:
- Visitors must keep at least two metres from others at all times
- Only one person allowed on bin access steps at any one time
- Only one person per car can get out of the vehicle – so please only bring waste that one person can lift
- No entry for trailers or large vans of 3.5 tonnes and over
- The number of parking spaces on each site is significantly reduced
- No pedestrian access and no access on a bicycle or motorcycle
- Don’t bring recyclable materials that can be collected through the council’s kerbside recycling collection service
For more details, and to find out more, see www.wiltshire.gov.uk/household-recycling-centres-booking-faqs
