The St Albans Household Waste Recycling Centre will reopen on Thursday, June 25, to allow residents, where essential, to dispose of waste that cannot be put in their normal recycling bins or safely stored at home.

The site will open under tight social distancing controls, to protect visitors and staff. Residents should only visit if it is absolutely essential, for example if storing the waste at home represents a genuine health or safety risk. Anyone in self-isolation, or with COVID-19 symptoms, must not visit under any circumstances.

Terry Hone, cabinet member for waste management, said: “Although the site is reopening, I would urge people to only visit if it’s genuinely essential. Most types of waste can be put in normal kerbside bins for collection, or stored safely at home, and this is still a much better option at the moment.

“The social distancing measures we’re putting in place to protect our staff and the public mean that visits are taking a lot longer than normal and we’re seeing some very long queues.”

Just like in supermarkets, the reopened HWRCs have been being rearranged to ensure their safe use while also protecting site staff.

• Anyone in self-isolation, or with COVID-19 symptoms, must not visit the HWRCs under any circumstances.

• The centres will operate on a ‘one in, one out’ basis, with a limited number of vehicles allowed within the centre at any one time.

• Once in the centre visitors will be asked to follow identified pathways and queue, at a safe distance, to access each waste container.

• Staff will not be able to help you carry waste from your car to the containers.

• Site equipment, such as handrails and steps to access containers, will be regularly cleaned in line with public health advice.

• Please don’t use large vans or trailers as they cause significant queuing problems.

Mr Hone added: “These measures are in place to protect residents and staff and must be followed. We will close centres if an acceptable level of health and safety cannot be maintained.”

Go to www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hwrc for details of site opening times, and to check the queues on the live webcams.