Please respect staff at Household Waste Recycling Centres, say the four South Yorkshire councils in a joint statement.
Joint statement from the four South Yorkshire councils following incidents at Household Waste Recycling Centres
The South YorkThe South Yorkshire Waste Board is appealing to members of the public using Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to respect staff and other customers after a number of incidents including spitting and abusive behaviour were reported.
Nationally and locally HWRCs have been very busy, with long queues requiring a number of traffic management systems to be put in place both inside and outside the facilities. Because of government COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing requirements, sites cannot accommodate as many vehicles as usual and staff are unable to help unload them. If assistance is needed, a member of your household can attend to support. These measures have been put in place for the safety and well-being of both staff and customers and it is essential that they are followed.
To cope with demand, some HWRCs are now open for longer hours with others planning to do so shortly, and residents are advised to check their council websites to establish exact opening hours in their area. Alternatives which could be considered include making use of the councils' bulky waste collection schemes, and home composting garden waste if you do not use the green waste collection service or have large amounts of garden waste. When visiting an HWRC, separating waste at home first will reduce the amount of time spent on site. It would be helpful if residents could minimise the number of visits to HWRCs as much as possible.
A spokesperson said: "We want to thank people for continuing to recycle and dispose of waste responsibly during these difficult times. However, we are disappointed that our staff, who have been working hard throughout the pandemic and in adverse weather conditions have, on occasions, been subjected to abusive behaviour. We know that HWRC facilities are very much appreciated by members of the public and we are appealing to people to be patient and to treat our staff with the respect they deserve."
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