I am writing to let you know that Norfolk County Council has made the decision today to re-open eight of its larger recycling centres on Monday 11 May. This follows the Government’s updated guidance issued on Tuesday by Defra (Department of environment, food and rural affairs) which advised that local authorities should seek to retain access to HWRC services for their residents to dispose of waste.
The sites we are reopening are Dereham, Thetford, Caister, Ketteringham, Mile Cross, King’s Lynn, Mayton Wood and Hempton Recycling Centres.
All twenty of Norfolk’s recycling centres have been closed since 25 March 2020 when the Government restricted travel outside the home to limited essential purposes. The guidance issued by Government this week states that householders should only take waste to a HWRC if it cannot be stored safely at home and no alternative disposal options are available. So we are asking residents to only make a trip to a site if their waste and recycling is posing a risk to their health and safety.
To manage demand and help ensure safe operations the centres will offer a restricted service and:
- Require social distancing of two metres by all customers.
- Operate on a managed one in one out basis for cars.
- Only allow two adults out of a car to unload their waste.
- Assistance will not be offered to help empty cars.
- Be aimed at cars and car derived vans only to manage demand on the service.
- Provide for the disposal and recycling of the main waste streams including green waste, general waste and charged for DIY type construction and demolition waste.
We have included some frequently asked questions below and when our press release is issued tomorrow, you will find all the latest information on the service here www.norfolk.gov.uk/recyclingupdates
If you have any questions, please contact our waste management team on waste.management@norfolk.gov.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are we only allowing cars and car derived vans on site in the first instance?
Until we are sure we can manage demand for the volumes of waste people may bring to site, we are limiting the service to cars and car derived vans only. This helps us to manage a quick turn around on site where we have a limited capacity for vehicles. Once we are confident the operations are running smoothly, we will be able to let larger vehicles and trailers into the sites.
Why haven’t we opened all sites?
We have re-opened eight of our largest recycling centres so that householders can dispose of waste and recycling that may have built up at home and has started to pose a health and safety risk.
We have started with these eight key locations so that we can manage demand and deal with any difficulties that may arise. Our number one priority is to protect the health and safety of our customers, staff and the wider community and we have moved workers from our smaller sites to help us deliver the best possible service in these unprecedented times.
We are grateful to our customers for only using the service if the visit is essential and they cannot store their waste safely at home. Once we are confident the first eight sites are operating smoothly under our new arrangements, we will look at opening more centres across the county and offering our trade waste service when we are confident we can manage demand.
Why have you decided to open now?
Recent Government guidance has helped clarify the service we can offer and we are aware that with sites closed for six weeks householders may now need help to deal with the build-up of waste where it has started to pose a risk.
What measures are we taking to protect the health and safety of our customers, staff and the wider community?
Social distancing of 2m and a strict cleaning regime will be in place at all sites. We have limited the number of vehicles allowed into each site at any one time, to give each vehicle enough space to safely empty their waste. We ask that residents only bring waste they can remove from their vehicle and deposit in the containers themselves, as staff will not be able to assist. Please visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/recyclingupdates for more information on how the sites will operate at this time.
What type of waste and recycling are we accepting?
We are offering as full a service as is possible at this time. We expect that the only materials we won’t be able to take are textiles, items for reuse and old-style box televisions at Mile Cross. We will be constantly reviewing what we can accept based on whether reprocessors are able to take the waste after it is delivered to our sites.
When is the best time to visit the centre?
We expect the busiest times of day to be first thing in the morning. The sites will be open 9am-5pm, please consider a later visit.
What should people do with their waste and recycling if they are not allowed on site e.g. trade waste?
We will re-open our trade waste service as soon as we are confident the sites can manage the amount of waste and recycling brought in by householders. The sites are provided primarily for Norfolk residents to dispose of their own household waste and this remains our priority. Until then traders who are undertaking work at this time may need to consider a reputable private company that can offer a waste service that meets their needs.
Kate Murrell, Waste Reduction and Recycling Manager
Community and Environmental Services
Tel: 01603 223829 | Mobile: 07775 860891
County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2SG