Last week Rye News ran an article on fly tipping entitled “Good, Bad and the Ugly” and also bemoaned the fact that, as our ‘tips’ were closed, so it’s not surprising that fly tipping has spiralled.
Perhaps someone was listening, or perhaps a little divine intervention helped, but whatever, the good news is that Rother have announced that they will reopen the tips on May 18 – but with restrictions. The announcement below was made by Councillor Claire Dowling, lead member for transport and the environment.
“The county’s waste sites will begin reopening to the public from 10am on Monday, May 18, following new guidance issued by central Government. East Sussex’s 10 Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRS) closed in late March amid the Covid-19 outbreak, to ensure the safety of staff and residents.
“Although the county council was already working with its contractors on plans, the new guidance from Government means it can now push ahead with the re-opening of facilities.
However, with social distancing still necessary, residents are being warned that the service will be restricted and encouraged to only travel to a site if absolutely necessary.
Cllr Claire Dowling said: “While we are pleased to be able to reopen our household waste recycling sites, the health and safety of everyone working at, and visiting the sites remain our top priority.We expect demand to be extremely high initially, and I would urge people to only travel to a site if you absolutely have to – to dispose of items that, if kept, could pose a safety risk to people in your household.
“To open safely, we are going to have to severely restrict how we use the sites so the service will look very different and residents who need to use our HWRS should expect significant delays which, while frustrating, will be unavoidable.”
This may change as Government unveils a number of changes to the current lockdown.
“Sites will initially open from 10am to 4pm every day, but weekend opening hours will vary at some sites. Before travelling, people should check the opening days and times for their local site.
“Social distancing of two metres will need to be maintained on site, meaning the number of parking bays will be limited and only one person will be allowed to use the access ramps at any one time. Staff will not be able to assist with unloading.
“To avoid lengthy visits, only cars will be allowed to access the site, not trailers or over-sized vehicles, until demand drops. To avoid close contact between staff and residents, the re-use shops will remain closed and chargeable waste – plasterboard, bonded asbestos, tyres, hardcore and soil – will not be accepted.
“Arrangements at each HWRS, and the impact on the road network, will be constantly monitored and changes will be made if necessary.”
Image Credits: Rye News Library .