More restrictions eased at recycling centre

Monday 18 May 2020

Anyone who has been having a clear out during lockdown will be pleased to know that Guernsey's Household Waste and Recycling Centre is now accepting general waste again - although many items it usually accepts remain banned for now.

From today some items, including general waste, furniture, wood, and other bulky items can be taken to the facility at Longue Hougue.

The site was closed during phase one of the lockdown, to contain and delay the spread of covid-19, but as the number of active cases continues to fall those restrictions are being eased meaning some services can resume.

The Longue Fougue site partially reopened at the end of last month, with a limit on what materials could be dropped off.

Initially, this was restricted to the most common recyclable items - blue and clear kerbside bags, food waste, glass, scrap metal, inert waste, electrical appliances and rigid plastic but now that has been eased further.

Recycling Officer, Tina Norman-Ross said this was part of the phased reintroduction of services at the HWRC, which has been busy since reopening.

With the initial peak over, some additional bins provided for materials previously accepted are no longer required, so the site can now receive more items.

As well as general waste and bulky items, from today the HWRC will also accept clothes and pairs of shoes, but with strict controls in place. They will need to be placed in a bag before being deposited in the bin, and loose items will not be accepted. Charity clothing banks at all other locations remain closed, on public health advice.

“Unfortunately we still can’t receive everything we normally take at the HWRC," said Ms Norman-Ross, "but we can now accept general black bag waste, as well as bulky items such as wood and old sofas. We think islanders will welcome this, as we know a lot of households have taken the opportunity during the lockdown to have a clear out at home.

“We would remind everyone though not to include batteries, flares, or large metal items in their general waste as these present a hazard or can cause damage at the processing stage.’’

Pictured: There remain some restrictions in place over what can and cannot be taken to Longue Hougue.

The usual charges will apply for disposal of general waste, which will be based on £2.50 per black bag charge or equivalent. Staff will only be able to take card payments and contactless transactions are preferred.

To ensure social distance is maintained, site staff are unable to help unload vehicles. Large or heavy items, such as domestic appliances, should only be brought to the site if they can be safely unloaded by those delivering them. Anyone visiting the site can be accompanied by someone from the same household.

Bring bank sites currently remain closed and islanders are encouraged to make full use of the kerbside recycling scheme. There is also no limit to the number of general waste bags households can set out, provided each one has the appropriate payment sticker applied and is not too heavy for the collection contractors to lift.