Below is a briefing from the Council on their plan to reopen recycling centres (by appointment only) from the 1st of June. Special uplifts will also resume.

Introduction
We’re reopening all our recycling centres from Monday 1 June on an appointment only basis and restarting the special uplift service.

These services were suspended in March due to staff shortages and physical distancing requirements but with enough crew members now available and physical distancing arrangements in place, recycling centres can reopen and special uplift collections can resume safely. However, note that there will be changes to the way in which they are managed.

Recycling centres
Recycling centres will reopen on an appointment only basis on Monday 1 June. Residents will need to book a time slot using a new online booking system on our website, which will be available from the afternoon of Thursday 28 May. Our contact centre staff are continuing to focus on emergency calls so it won’t be possible to book an appointment over the phone.

We’re expecting our sites to be busy and the booking system will help to minimise crowding and help staff and customers to maintain physical distancing.

Traffic management systems will be put in place at each location to help manage queues. This includes reverting to the old entrance at our Seafield recycling centre on Fillyside Road for the first three weeks. We’re writing to local residents who may be affected to advise them of this and the temporary local diversions and road closures which will be in place.

Traffic management signage will also be in place in streets around all sites as well as signs to ensure residents are aware that they must book an appointment to use a recycling centre.

Further guidance:

• Only residents of Edinburgh can book an appointment. When doing so, they should consider:
  • if their visit is necessary
  • if they can store their waste safely at home.
• They should be prepared to queue before entering the site.
• Only cars are permitted – no vans or trailers.
• Our staff won’t be able to help unload cars at the site, so people should plan to only bring what they can carry.
• We may need to close our sites at short notice.
• Anyone who turns up without a booking will be turned away.

Time slots are available on a first come, first served basis and anyone who turns up without a booking will be turned away.

Appointments are limited to one per household for the first two weeks of re-opening.

Special uplifts
We’re restarting our special uplift service on 1 June and will be accepting online bookings for the collection of bulky items from Thursday 28 May with a maximum of five items per household.

To ensure the safety of our crews and the public, we won’t be able to collect any items from inside homes.

The special uplift service is expected to be busy during the first few weeks, so there may be a wait for collections – please check the council website for updates.

Residents can book an uplift on our website though not currently over the phone – allowing our contact centre staff to deal with emergency calls. Special uplifts are charged at £5 per item and details of what we can and can’t collect will be available online.

We hope that resuming special uplifts will help alleviate pressure on recycling centres once they reopen.