Community Recycling Centres to Stay Closed

Published on: 26 Apr, 2020
Updated on: 27 Apr, 2020

Guildford’s Recycling Centre in Slyfield

Despite the increase in flytipping in other boroughs of Surrey, the county council has no immediate plans to reopen the county’s community recycling centres (CRCs), closed in March due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Officers at Guildford Borough Council have said that there has been no significant increase in flytipping in Guildford Borough.

County Cllr Mike Goodman (Con, Bagshot, Windlesham and Chobham), cabinet member for Environment and Waste, said: “We are keeping this under regular review, but continue to feel we must follow the government’s very clear advice to stay at home and make only essential journeys.

“We believe any guidance which suggests CRCs could reopen is contradictory to that key government advice and could put at risk residents as well as waste staff, who are key workers.

Cllr Mike Goodman

“Almost all of these facilities across the country are closed, and this approach is supported by organisations including the County Councils Network and the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee.

“It’s most important we do everything we can to protect residential collections. I’m pleased 92 per cent of residential collections are coping well with increased levels of domestic waste. This continuity of collections has been helped by the redeployment of some CRC staff to supporting the services of a couple of district and borough councils.

“When the advice about essential travel changes, we’re expecting to reopen our CRCs with social distancing measures in place. We are working on plans which will protect visitors and staff while helping as many residents to access the sites as possible. This is likely to mean accepting fewer types of waste but with extended opening hours. Please look for updates at surreycc.gov.uk/recycling.

“We continue to ask residents to hold on to any excess waste and not have bonfires. The Surrey Environment Partnership has suggested six ways to help bin crews at surreyep.org.uk

“I’m grateful to residents for their patience and understanding, and I want to thank all the waste staff who are working so hard to keep our vital residential collections running throughout the lockdown.”