Monmouthshire County Council is keen to update residents and clear up any misconceptions about the closure of our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

There seems to be some misinformation circulating that all recycling sites in England have now re-opened, so Monmouthshire County Council is coming under increasing pressure to open its local sites. It is true that a small number of areas in England have reopened their HWRCs, but most councils across the UK (and all in Wales) are in the same position as us.

Current guidelines state that people can only leave their homes for essential travel and, at present, this does not include travelling to recycling sites.

This guidance remains in place and is likely to remain until the lockdown is reviewed by the UK and Welsh Governments. At a Welsh level, the 22 authorities are considering an all Wales approach (or at least a regional approach) as many of the contractors that receive material from HWRCs are currently closed with their staff furloughed. Consequently, our sites cannot reopen unless end destinations for material are in place.

In addition to this key factor, we will need to consider managing traffic to avoid long queues, safe operation of the sites and social distancing. 

The planning that is required around these factors will mean that there is likely to be a lead in time to sites reopening and / or sites will open on a phased basis with a system to control queueing, entry to the site, waste types and waste volumes.

Further updates will be shared as and when the position changes.