By Cecilia Nasmith

Following Northumberland County council's vote Wednesday to reopen the Brighton landfill and the Community Recycling Centres in Bewdley and Seymour by May 1 – but only under limited conditions, restrictions have been announced.

With modified operating hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., these are the restrictions in place.

• The Bewdley site opens Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays as of April 27.

• The Brighton site opens Mondays through Saturdays as of April 29.

• The Seymour site opens Wednesdays and Fridays as of May 1.

Other restrictions are in place as well.

The number of vehicles permitted on a site at any one time is limited. Customers may experience delays of more than 30 minutes to enter a CRC due to this limitation.

Payment methods are limited to debit and credit only.

No household hazardous waste or clothing is accepted at this time.

Director of Transportation and Waste Mo Pannu added his own caution.

“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,” Pannu said.

“Staff and customer safety are our highest priorities, and operations will be monitored on an on-going basis to assess whether additional precautions are required.

Combined with continuing curbside collection, the announcement said, it is hoped this move will ensure residents are able to dispose of all urgent waste items.

Warden Bob Sanderson thanked the Waste Services team for their commitment to providing these essential services.

“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,” Sanderson said.

“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 do have the capacity to store items, please do so until the CRCs return to normal operations.”