Recycling centres have been closed for the last few weeks while the nation is in lockdown, meaning households have had to accumulate waste in their own properties without being able to dispose of them at a tip.
Therefore, when they re-open following an easing of lockdown restrictions, councils are worried this could create traffic problems in the area as people flock to get rid of their unwanted belongings.
Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant has suggested that sites could open relatively soon, but “things just need to be sorted with Staffordshire Police first to avoid traffic jams”.
Speaking with Litchfield Live, he noted that vehicles could flock the site on Trent Valley Road in Staffordshire during the first few days of re-opening “as a backlog of rubbish is cleared”.
His comments come after Secretary of State Robert Jenrick spoke about potentially letting recycling centres open again, as one of the first measures of phasing out lockdown.
He has asked local authorities to consider plans to re-open household waste collection sites so they are able to adhere to social distancing guidelines, saying this needed to be done “as a priority”.
This is due to several people disposing of their rubbish illegally while tips have been shut, with lots of incidents of fly-tipping having been reported to councils over the last few weeks.
Lichfield District Council, for example, reported a 30 per cent increase in allegations of waste being dumped on private land, while the number of fly-tipping reports in public spaces and on roads grew by a quarter in April.
Councillor Angel Lax, cabinet member for legal and regulatory services, told the publication this will come as disappointing news to “the vast majority of our residents”. He went on to thank them for “holding on to any extra rubbish” they have accumulated, particularly if they have done some spring cleaning during quarantine.
For temporary traffic management equipment, get in touch with us today.
