North Ayrshire Council has revealed its plans for reopening the area’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) fromJune 1.

North Ayrshire’s four recycling centres will be opened on a phased basis throughout next month to help manage demand and ensure that the required additional staffing is in place.

The timetable for reopening, which is subject to ongoing national monitoring of the reproduction rate of Covid-19, is:

· Bartonholm in Irvine and Brodick HWRCs will reopen on June 1

· Kilbirnie HWRC is currently scheduled to reopen on June 15

· Largs HWRC is currently scheduled to reopen on June 22

All recycling centres across Scotland have been closed since early April following national guidance on essential travel. However, this latest announcement is part of the Scottish Government’s proposed measures to ease the country out of lockdown.

As demand is expected to be extremely high, the Council is urging only those who absolutely need to dispose of excess waste to visit during the initial days of opening.

There will also be changes as to how recycling centres operate to ensure physical distancing to keep customers and staff safe.

These include limiting the number of vehicles permitted on site as well as arrangements to ensure that everyone keeps a two-metre distance from each other at all times and follows the signage and markings that will be located across each of the recycling centres.

There will also be hand sanitiser stations available which customers will be encouraged to use on arrival at the facility.

As long queues are expected, traffic marshals will manage queues at each site’s entrance, while staff within the recycling centre will ensure customers follow the guidance and dispose of their items correctly and safely.

A traffic management plan will also be in place during the initial period to help with extensive queuing, any congestion issues and to ensure access for surrounding residents.

No vans or trailers will be permitted on site until demand eases and there will be no pedestrian access allowed.

There will be some temporary restrictions on the type of items that will be accepted. The following can be disposed of straight away:

· General waste

· Garden waste

· Cardboard

· Wood

· Scrap metal

Whereas, acceptance of these items will be delayed until demand eases:

· Soil/rubble

· White goods

· Electrical items

· Household batteries

· Oil

· Gas bottles

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “We acknowledge that the temporary closure of recycling centres across Scotland has caused considerable inconvenience.

“While a small minority of people took this as an excuse to illegally fly-tip, we appreciate that the majority of our residents have held onto their waste responsibly.

“Following national guidance, we are now preparing to reopen our recycling centres in a way which ensures the safety of both our customers and staff.

“However, as we expect high demand for this service in the initial few days – if not weeks – we ask that you only visit one of our recycling centres if there is no other safe option for managing your waste.

“We will, of course, monitor progress carefully and will resume normal service once we are satisfied that demand has reached a manageable level.” For more details, visit the Council’s website at: www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/HWRC