Shipston Household Waste Recycling Centre set for re-opening with new booking system

Warwickshire’s six main Household Waste Recycling Centres reopened to the Warwickshire public on the May 18; at that time, it was not possible to open Shipston and ensure the safety of the public and staff, but measures have been put in place that now enable the Shipston site to reopen.

Since the re-opening of the main centres, there has been a booking in place for residents to book a slot to bring their waste for recycling.

This system has been designed to ensure the maximum level of safety for both visitors and staff by allowing social distancing to take place while also minimising any possible disruption to the roads around the centres.

The booking system has been a great success and there has been minimal queues reported at all centres and no disruption to the highways surrounding each of the centres.

The system has been such a success that a number of local authorities around the country who did not initially have a booking system have sought advice from our officers about adopting this pragmatic approach. Visitors to all sites have also been very complimentary about the social distancing that the booking system enables.

Over the last month, capacity has been slowly increasing across all household waste recycling centres and there are now over 12,000 appointments available each week across the six sites.

Residents are advised that Hunters Lane and Judkins remain popular at all times, whereas there is often better availability at the other four sites, especially in the afternoons.

The council is keeping residents informed on where best to book alternative sites via social media. Anyone wanting to book a slot at one of the centres, can do so here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentresCllr Heather Timms, portfolio holder for the environment, heritage and culture, said: “I am absolutely delighted by how well the reopening of our household waste recycling centres has been received by all our residents, how well the new booking system has enabled effective social distancing and how responsible and courteous all the visitors to our open sites have been.

"The pre-booking system has drawn recognition nationally as a model of best practice.

“It is great news that Shipston HWRC will also be re-opening on the 22 June providing the service to residents there. We know how much residents value the service so I am delighted that we can look to safely extend the provision to Shipston.”

Residents are advised that, at this time, the sites at Wellesbourne and Stockton remain closed.