Sheffield city council has introduced a £70 fine for drivers queuing on roads to access Household Waste and Recycling centres (HWRCs).
All five HWRCs in Sheffield have remained open during the pandemic
The council said that the large numbers of people trying to access the HWRCs in recent weeks has resulted in “significant traffic queues” with some drivers refusing to leave despite being asked to do so by staff.
The council began to issue penalty charge notices from 28 May to visitors who refuse to leave queues when asked, in order to “protect all road users from the dangers associated with unsafe queuing traffic”
Sheffield’s five HWRCs, which are run by Veolia, have been some of the few in the UK to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, however they are still seeing significant queues.
The council said that the HWRCs most affected by “unsafe queuing” are the sites at Beighton Road, Blackstock Road and Longley Avenue West.
‘Significant ques’
The council said: “We’re incredibly proud that we’ve been able to keep our five Household Waste Recycling Centres open across Sheffield during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in doing so, we’ve had to put in place measures to protect the safety of the public and our workforce by limiting the number of people using the sites to maintain social distancing.
“The large numbers of people trying to access the sites has resulted in significant traffic queues, with drivers often refusing to move on despite being asked to do so by site staff. It is not acceptable for vehicles to queue outside the sites as this may cause potential danger for other road users trying to pass.”
Please be aware that as from Thursday 28th May drivers queuing on roads to access Household Waste Recycling Centres will face fines of up to £70 to protect all road users from the dangers associated with unsafe queuing traffic. https://t.co/0MnqX0D1kn
— SheffieldCityCouncil (@SheffCouncil) May 27, 2020
Verbal assaults
The fines also follow a statement released by the council and the city’s waste contractor Veolia, urging visitors not to verbally assault HWRC staff if asked to leave.
The statement said that despite the sites being unable to accommodate as many visits as usual causing ‘frustration’, Sheffield city council and Veolia “will not tolerate any physical or verbal threats to its workforce.” The council also said it may result in sites being closed.
HWRC’s across the UK have experienced long queues following their reopening and have urged visitors to only make essential visits.
Sheffield city council is encouraging residents with significant volumes of DIY and garden waste to consider skip hire and bulky uplift collections rather than visiting the recycling sites.
The council added that residents should only visit a HWRC to dispose of waste that cannot be safely stored at home, and may attract vermin or cause a safety issue.
The post Sheffield implements fines for HWRC queues appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
