BICKENHILL tip will reopen next week, as the council asked Solihull residents to ‘expect significant queues’.
The borough said those visiting the tip should think very carefully about whether a trip is really essential, as the tip is set to admit vehicles on May 18.
In a statement, the council said: “In order to follow social distancing guidance, only five cars will be allowed in at a time and only one person will be allowed to leave each car to remove waste. Site users should also ensure that they can unload and carry their waste themselves as the site staff will be unable to provide assistance.
“Nobody should visit the site if they are showing symptoms of the coronavirus, are self-isolating or belong to a vulnerable group. A trip to the site should only be taken when waste cannot be stored safely at home and presents a public health risk.”
Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways Coun Ken Hawkins said: “We have restored bulky waste collections and from this week all our residents will have had a garden waste collection which we hope will minimise the need to visit our HWRC. In reopening the site, we’re asking people to think very seriously about whether they really need to make the trip and to behave responsibly.
“Reopening the site is not a signal to start spring cleaning. Producing additional waste at this time will add significant pressure to the service which is already under strain during the pandemic and unnecessary visits could pose unnecessary health risks for front line staff at the site.”
A visit to Bickenhill HWRC should only be made when storage of excess household waste cannot be done safely at home and all traffic management and social distancing instructions should be adhered to.
Holders of HWRC vehicle permits should wait for further guidance about times to visit the site.
