RECYCLING centres in Bracknell and Reading will re-open on Monday, May 18.
But before anyone can visit, they will need to book their visiting slot via the re3 website. And this will be available from 10am on Friday, May 15.
The new ‘Click and Tip’ system aims to reduce overcrowding at the Longshot Lane and Smallmead Island Road centres.
Bookings will be available for slots from 8am – 6pm, Monday to Sunday, and residents can book up to 7 days in advance.
There will be a limited number of booking slots available, with the sites only operating at 50% of their usual capacity.
Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell residents are still urged to continue to store waste at home and only make a booking if the trip to the recycling centres is essential.
And everyone visiting the sites must follow traffic signs, staff advice and adhere to the social distancing measures that have been put in place.
The following safety measures will be introduced on both sites:
- Limiting the number of vehicles allowed at the site at any one time.
- All visitors are required to keep the appropriate distance from each other, at least 2m apart.
- To minimise unnecessary contact with staff, residents should display their proof of address through closed windows and use contactless payments for transactions if possible.
- No assistance for unloading can be provided by site staff who will be available to direct the public and manage residents parking.
- In line with Public Health England guidance, residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus, must not visit the recycling centres.
Residents are asked to remember when visiting the re3 sites:
- Make a booking before visiting the site. Without a booking, entry will be refused.
- Bring proof of address that shows residency in Bracknell Forest, Wokingham or Reading such as driving licence, a council tax bill or a utility bill and place it on the dashboard for staff to see.
- Arrive at the time of the booked slot.
- Arrive in the car for which the booking was made (identified by the number plate).
- Visitors who come without a booking, outside of their booked slot, without proof of residency or in a different car from the booking will be turned away.
- Re3 will accept all usual items, including chargeable waste, so plan the visit when loading the car as it will help minimise the amount of time on site.
- There may be delays accessing the site and possibly queues of waiting vehicles, so have all documents available.
- Be patient and follow the instructions of staff onsite at all times.
Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes MBE, Bracknell Forest Council’s executive member for environment and chairman of the re3 joint waste disposal board said: “The wellbeing of our residents and staff is our priority and we have been working hard to ensure that re-opening of recycling centres can be done in a responsible and safe manner during these unprecedented times.
“I am certain that the reopening of our recycling centres will be welcomed as we understand the difficulties people have faced managing their waste at this time, but residents need to realise that it is open at limited capacity and for pre-booked visitors only.
“We are expecting very high demand for appointments so we are asking residents to be patient and comply with new rules so we can safely deliver this crucial service.”
Cllr Parry Batth, Wokingham Borough Council’s executive member for environment and leisure, said: “I welcome this decision, but we should understand this is not a return to normal. Our recycling centres have always been in high demand with many residents praising the ease of use of our facilities.
“We want to continue to offer our services and as always ask everyone to follow staff advice. We need to ensure continuing access to refuse freighters and other councils vehicles, alongside opening-up the HWRCs.
“So, new measures are vital to ensure we protect our residents, our staff and to reduce unnecessary queuing near the sites.”
And Cllr Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport and deputy leader of the council, said: ”I welcome the reopening of the recycling centres based on an online booking system and effective traffic control system, supported by other social distancing measures.
“These give us confidence that sites can operate safely, at the same time providing residents with the opportunity to dispose of and recycle their waste in a responsible manner. We thank residents for their patience during the period that the recycling centres have been closed and ask that they continue to be patient whilst the service is reintroduced.
“We anticipate that demand will be high, and with limited appointments available we ask everyone to only make a booking and travel to the centres if it is necessary.”
For more information, visit the re3 website or the borough council website.
