Date:
(News source: published by Surrey County Council, adapted by Woking Borough Council)
There will be a phased reopening of most of Surrey County Council's community recycling centres (CRCs), including the Martyrs Lane site in Woking, from Monday 11 May.
The Woking site will operate extended opening hours from 9am to 6pm, seven days a week, until further notice. This is to enable limited numbers of people on-site at one given time.
Residents should only use the CRCs if they absolutely need to, and must check for the latest information before they travel at www.surreycc.gov.uk/recycling or by calling 03456 009 009 as these arrangements are subject to change.
New site rules
Residents are politely requested to follow new site rules when visiting CRCs:
- Social distancing measures must be adhered to at all times by both staff and visitors. All site users must adhere to the 2 metre social distancing rules in place.
- Ideally, only one person per vehicle should travel to the site, as only one person will be permitted outside their vehicle once on-site. People must remain in their vehicle whilst queuing.
- No assistance will be given to offload materials by site staff so only bring what you can safely carry.
- Do not attend the site if you are self-isolating due to having/or having had possible COVID-19 symptoms.
- If any households have had COVID-19 symptoms, then the waste should be left for 72 hours before being brought to site. Waste should be doubled bagged.
- During the first reopening phase, residents can only bring black bag waste and garden waste.
- Limiting the CRCs to two materials means residents will be able to park in alternate parking bays with dedicated access to containers. This means that social distancing will be possible at all times, which is essential to operate the sites safely and protect residents and staff. It will also help residents to quickly dispose of their waste.
- Opening hours have been extended to help as many people as possible to pass through each day. Queues are still expected outside the sites so please be patient.
- Residents can only bring their waste in cars – no vans, pickups or trailers will be allowed into the CRCs at any time.
Returning to a full service
Residents are asked to hold onto other materials they need to take to CRCs, such as card, wood, metal, electricals and construction waste. The intention is to move to a second reopening phase after a few weeks when the full range of materials can be accepted, but only when it is safe to do. We will continue to only allow reduced numbers on sites to maintain social distancing.
Mike Goodman, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said: “I’m grateful for the patience of our residents during the closure of the CRCs, and for holding on to their waste to prevent the collections from being overwhelmed.
“Balancing the competing need to maintain social distancing alongside reopening our highly valued recycling centres is vital. I believe these arrangements will help visitors and staff stay far enough apart, while helping residents to clear their excess black bag and garden waste as quickly as possible.
“But I would still encourage residents to only visit the CRCs if they really need to, and make the most of residential waste, recycling and garden waste collection services. We will keep these measures under review, but expect them to remain in place for a few weeks while residents clear their backlog of waste.”
View the Woking CRC opening hours and location