Tips set to reopen and bulky waste collections to relaunch in County Durham

Durham County Council will reopen the 12 sites from Monday, May 18, after they closed following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Bulky waste goods collections by the authority will resume from the same day.

The announcement follows similar plans unveiled by neighouring councils in Sunderland from Monday, May 11, and in Hartlepool from Wednesday, May 13.

Yet Durham has introduced a host of new safety measures and insists the recycling centres should only be visited if waste cannot be stored safely at home and no alternative disposal options are available.

To ensure social distancing, people will be asked to keep two metres apart at all times and a limited number of cars will be allowed on site at a time.

This will be determined on a site-by-site basis and residents are being asked to be patient at sites where there are queues.

Visitors may also be turned away if sites are too busy.

Changes to the way the sites are used will also be made.

For example, no lifting assistance will be available from staff on site, with users being responsible for this, and residents are advised to take a passenger from the household if required.

Residents will also be asked to wash their hands before and after their visit.

Vehicles such as vans, pickups, minibuses or vehicles towing trailers will still be able to use the site with a waste permit.

These can be applied for on the council’s website. As usual, car users will not need to apply for a permit.

Councillor Brian Stephens, council cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, was pleased by the prospect of the reopenings.

But he added: “I would like to stress, however, the importance of following government guidance about using these sites.

“This means asking residents to spread out their visits to HWRCs as much as possible, be patient when using the sites, and to bring materials only if they cannot be safely stored at home.”

Collections of bulky waste items such as furniture or white goods can be made from 9am on Tuesday, May 12, at www.durham.gov.uk/bulkywaste or by ringing 03000 260 000.

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