It has been announced today that Kent County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will open to the public from next Friday (15th May). This will be initially for essential use only.
From Wednesday, (13th May), people will be able to book a slot to use one of the county’s 18 HWRCs which closed on March 23 due to Covid-19.
this is good news but the finer details need more work
People can book a slot either online or by phone for the opening on Friday 15th – details on how to book will be released next week. This will be if you are one of the lucky people to get through.
It has not been specified what will be classed as essential waste either, which could lead to an immense amount of confusion. Also, some of the rules may need some further work, for instance one states ‘If you need to dispose of waste contaminated with coronavirus this should be carried out at kerbside’. So no need for any protective clothing or warning the staff then?
There has been a spate of fly-tipping throughout Kent during the lockdown and the centres are being opened to try and stop this anti-social activity continuing.
The sites will be open to the public between 9am and 3pm, to allow for enhanced cleaning. Most sites will be open seven days a week and will accept all types of waste including chargeable items.
Residents can only book one trip in any four-week period to allow everyone to have access to sites and must follow social distancing guidelines. If you are getting rid of items for your ‘elderly neighbour’, then you may have a chance of going twice, but let’s hope that the decent people of Kent do not abuse this system.
It was also announced today that the majority of garden waste collections will resume on Friday week too. Residents garden waste has been piling up during the lockdown as people spend additional time in their gardens, so this will be a welcome relief to many.
