Household Reuse and Recycling Centres partially reopen for essential visits

Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs) across the South London Waste Partnership region (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton) have partially reopened from today (Wednesday 13 May 2020) to allow residents to make essential visits.

Temporary restrictions and conditions are in place at each of the HRRCs; it’s important that residents check their local council website before planning a visit to their local site:

• Croydon Council (Factory Lane, Purley Oaks and Fishers Farm HRRCs)
• Kingston Council (Villiers Road HRRC)
• Merton Council (Garth Road HRRC)
• Sutton Council (Kimpton Park Way HRRC)

The temporary conditions and restrictions are different at each site but include revised opening hours, visits by pre-booked appointment only and a restricted range of materials being accepted. The changes will help the sites run safely and in accordance with government guidelines designed to slow the spread of coronavirus and will be kept under constant review.

Households should only take waste to the HRRC if it cannot be safely stored at home and no alternative disposal options are available. The boroughs’ recycling, rubbish, garden waste and bulky waste collection services are all running – residents should try to use these to manage household waste instead of taking it to the HRRC.

Councillor Stuart Collins, Chair of the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee, said: 

“I’m pleased that residents across the four boroughs will once again have access to their local Household Reuse and Recycling Centre. But I must stress that we are not back to ‘business as usual’ – you should only be planning to visit your local site if it’s absolutely essential, and you must check your local council website to ensure you’re familiar with any special arrangements that are in place to keep you and others safe.

“I would like to thank Veolia UK, who operate the sites on our behalf, for their support and hard work in getting the HRRCs reopened. If you are making an essential visit, please follow the instructions given by site staff at all times and treat them with respect – they are working incredibly hard in challenging circumstances to keep us all safe.”

Richard Kirkman, Veolia’s Chief Technology & Innovation Officer said:

“Veolia understands that the HRRC network is very important to the community. We want to be able to help residents who cannot keep their waste at home safely. We have worked very hard with the South London Waste Partnership boroughs to carefully plan the reopening of the sites to ensure they are a safe place to work for our team and the public to visit.

“We are asking all site users to support our hard-working teams on the front line by following the guidance on their local council’s website and any information or instructions provided at the site.”

Ends.