Status For immediate release
Our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will re-open on Monday 1 June at 8:00 am.
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get everything ready for the much anticipated re-opening of our HWRCs.
In addition to our HWRCs at Ayr, Girvan, Maybole and Troon, we will also set up two pop-up sites in Ayr and Girvan for general/black bag waste. Information about their locations and operating hours will be made available on our website.
We know that many residents will be eager to access the sites, so we expect that they will be extremely busy in the first few weeks of re-opening. No trailers, vans or horse boxes will therefore be permitted within any site before Monday 15th June.
Our priority is to keep our employees and residents safe while accessing our HWRCs, so to help us to do this we ask that residents:
- Do not go to any of the sites if you or anyone in your household has symptoms of Covid-19, or is ‘shielding’ because of an underlying health condition;
- Bring proof that you live in South Ayrshire in the form of a driving licence, or a council tax bill. If you don’t then disposal of waste may be refused;
- Adhere to the site rules. Make sure only one person steps outside your vehicle to unload it, and adhere to social distancing within the site;
- Only come along to the sites in the first few days of opening if it’s absolutely necessary. We have extended opening hours on our sites from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday, so please try to avoid peak times. If your visit to the HWRC can wait a bit longer, then please hold off;
- Don’t bring items that are too big or heavy to handle yourself, as our site attendants will be unable to help you unload your car and dispose of your waste;
- Sort your waste before you arrive to minimise the time you need to spend on the site;
- Follow the temporary traffic management and queuing systems which are in place at all sites as there will be a reduced number of vehicles allowed into any site at any one time. Plans for each HWRC will be made available soon on our website;Allow extra time for your trip – it’s likely that there will be traffic delays at, and around each site;
- Do not touch your face, and bring sanitiser if you can, to clean your hands before you drive away;
- Be courteous and patient with our staff who are there to help you.
Councillor Ian Cochrane, South Ayrshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment, said: “I understand that many local residents will be keen to dispose of their waste. While it’s great news that the national guidance has changed to allow us to re-open our Household Waste Recycling Centres, I’d urge people not to overwhelm the service in the first few days of opening.
“We know that when these centres opened in England, there was traffic congestion and delays, so please only visit the centres if it’s absolutely essential.
“I’m very proud of the work our Waste Management team in South Ayrshire have done to make sure the sites are ready to re-open safely on 1 June, particularly the additional effort that has gone into developing the temporary pop-up sites.
“It’s still not business as usual, and restrictions apply in all of our centres to keep the public and our employees safe, so I’d urge residents to work with us as we resume this service. The ongoing patience and support of the public is much appreciated as we begin to come through to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
For the latest updates on our services visit https://beta.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/coronavirus
Delivery of Critical Services
We continue to provide critical services and these are currently operating without issue.
Reopening of Golf Courses
The First Minister confirmed today that golf will be able to return within a few days of the easing of lockdown restrictions on the 28th May. We have already put in considerable work to plan for reopening in anticipation of a change to current restrictions. We are awaiting further details from Scottish Golf and Sport Scotland as to what measures have been agreed with the Scottish Government to allow golf courses to reopen for play as we must ensure that our draft plans comply with these. We are informing golfers of the situation through social media and our links with clubs. We will provide further updates as soon as we receive clarification on the national guidance.
Schools
The First Minister announced today that schools will reopen from 11 August using a blended model (part school based and part online learning). The Depute First Minister and Cllr McCabe of COSLA have also published specific guidance for schools today. Central teams and head teachers will now develop plans for a phased return consistent with the guidance to ensure we open safely and in line with Covid guidance. Teaching staff continue to support pupils using online and digital learning. We will discuss proposals for schools with Elected Members where there is an element of local authority decision making. Further information will be made available as we work through the advice published today.
Early Learning and Childcare
The First Minister announced today that Early Years Centres will reopen from August. The Scottish Government has removed the duty to increase the number of free early learning and childcare hours from 600 to 1140 as a result of the Covid pandemic.
This reduction in free allocation, along with the public health guidance and physical distancing measures we must put in place, means that fewer children will be able to attend each Early Years Centre and hours and sessions available may change.
As always, the safety and wellbeing of children, parents, carers and staff is our absolute priority.
We will contact eligible families over the next week to confirm the offer of an early learning place. Once restrictions are lifted, these families will be able to benefit from their full allocation of the additional hours.