Local tips could re-open this month

Leicestershire County Council said it could re-open some household recycling centres in the week commencing 18th May.

At a meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday 28th April, the committee discussed plans to reopen some waste sites which have been closed since the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid19 began on 23rd March. 

Councillors said that the necessary arrangements "including social distancing and traffic management and public communications" need to be in place before any sites could re-open.

It was discussed that there would also need to be at least two weeks' worth of green and bulky waste collections completed prior to the tips reopening, so that the sites were not immediately overwhelmed with large items and garden waste.

Councillors said that the approach to re-opening household recycling centres would have to be co-ordinated with local councils across Leicestershire to avoid bottlenecks and traffic issues. 

Some areas have cancelled and altered their bin collection services to help it to cope with extra demand and fewer staff as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

There has been concern about an increase in fly-tipping during the lockdown because of closed recycling centres and fewer bulky waste collections. 

Decisions will be made in due course. 

You can watch the meeting here: