Waste Recycing Centres - booking system update

Hampshire County Council has been working to increase the number of vehicles which can access the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) on a daily basis
Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment at Hampshire County Council, said: “We continue to follow Government guidance on social distancing to keep residents and staff safe which must be our primary consideration.
“With Covid-19 safe measures in place at HWRCs, capacity has inevitably been reduced, and so we have had to change the way people visit the sites to manage demand. The new booking system is achieving what it set out to do, eliminating the lengthy traffic queues which were causing problems for others. I do appreciate this is an extra step people need to take to visit an HWRC and would like to thank Hampshire residents for their patience.
“I am pleased to able to say that, now we’ve had a couple of weeks to see how the system is working, we are in a position to increase the number of slots each day to 5,000 in total across Hampshire’s network of 24 sites. This will be done by allowing more people to book in during each half hour slot. I’ve also taken on board feedback that being able book a week ahead would be helpful, so we are increasing advance booking slot availability to allow people to book up to seven days in advance.
“I would continue to urge people to think about how to waste less if they can such as by composting food and garden waste, or upcycling or donating unwanted items.”

Bookings for HWRCs can be made online at: www.hants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/recyclingcentres/book-appointment
A telephone booking line, primarily for those without access to the online system, can be made by calling 023 8017 9949
Anyone wishing to book a slot will need to provide their name, car registration and, for online bookings, an email address. Bookings are limited to one slot per household per week.

• There is no need to bring confirmation of the booking to the site, the site will have information on confirmed bookings;
• Site staff will check registration plates upon arrival – people will need to arrive in the vehicle specified in the booking;
• Anyone turning up without a confirmed booking will not be allowed entry to the site;
• As per government guidelines, residents in the specified vulnerable category (those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, people over 70 and pregnant women) are strongly advised not to visit a site;
• New parking arrangements are in place with site staff guiding vehicles, from a safe distance, into spaces
• As far as possible, only one person per household should visit the HWRC.
• Due to social distancing measures, site staff will be unable to provide any assistance with unloading material or carrying material. Residents are asked to bring only the amount of waste they can comfortably carry and empty into containers
• Trailers are not permitted.
• Everyone must keep at least a two-metre distance from others at all times.
• Most waste materials will be accepted, except for chargeable waste – soil, rubble, asbestos and plasterboard.
• Reuse sales areas will remain closed. Where possible, please continue to store items of furniture which could be reused, donate to local furniture charities, or use online platforms (e.g. Freegle / Facebay / Gumtree). Please see the Smart Living web pages for more information on furniture reuse.