Northumberland County Council has determined that Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) in Bewdley, Seymour, and Brighton will reopen to the public on a limited basis by May 1. In combination with ongoing curbside collection, limited access to the CRCs will further ensure that residents are able to dispose of all urgent waste items.

“I want to sincerely thank our Waste Services team for their commitment to providing essential waste services for the community during this time,” states Warden Bob Sanderson. “Following a temporary closure at the outset of the pandemic, we are prepared to reopen the CRCs on a limited basis to meet the community’s essential waste disposal needs. Ever mindful of current public health direction that people stay home as much as possible, we do ask that residents visit the CRCs only as required once they reopen. For your safety and the safety of our staff, if you have the capacity to store items, please do so until the CRCs return to normal operations.”

Restrictions will be in place at all CRCs to protect the health and safety of staff and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes modified operations from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. as follows:

· Bewdley CRC: open Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays as of April 27

· Brighton CRC: open Monday to Saturday as of April 29

· Seymour CRC: open Wednesdays and Fridays as of May 1

Other restrictions will include:

· Limiting the number of vehicles entering the site at any one time (please note that customers may experience delays in excess of 30 minutes entering the CRCs due to the limited number of vehicles permitted entry at once)

· Limiting payment methods to debit and credit only 

· Not currently accepting Household Hazardous Waste or clothing 

“Staff are currently putting provisions in place for these modified operations in anticipation of reopening,” sates Director of Transportation, Waste & Facilities Mo Pannu. “With the current emphasis on physical distancing, we strongly encourage residents to limit trips to the CRCs to essential waste disposal only at this time. Staff and customer safety are our highest priorities, and operations will be monitored on an ongoing basis to assess whether additional precautions are required.”