Latest changes on how people can access recycling centres

A number of changes to how people will be able to use community recycling centres in Bridgend County Borough will begin next week.

From Monday 8 June, the odds-and-even car number plate system will no longer be in use at the Tythegston, Maesteg and Brynmenyn sites.

Introduced to help limit waiting times and cut down on traffic queues, the system is being retired now that the initial high demand which followed the reopening of the sites has eased.

Temporary traffic management arrangements affecting access to Tythegston will also be lifted, and drivers will be able to approach the site from both the A48 and A4106 Bridgend Road.

To protect staff and visitors and limit potential exposure to the coronavirus, site access will continue to be restricted to cars only - no vans, trailers or 4x4 crew-cab vehicles will be permitted until further notice, and the tipping permit scheme remains suspended.

As only a few cars will be allowed into the sites at any one time, drivers should continue to expect delays.

All items and materials MUST be sorted before entering a recycling centre, and only one person will be allowed to get out of the car to dispose of waste.

Staff will not be able to help unload or move items from cars due to social distancing requirements, so visitors should only bring waste that one person can carry safely.

While we are relaxing the access system now that the initial high demand has passed, we are still urging people to only make essential trips. The sites are not open for business as normal, and restrictions still apply while the pandemic is in effect.

Long queues remain likely, so please consider whether waste can be stored safely at home until lockdown restrictions have been lifted, or dispose of them using the bulky waste collection service. Please do not take waste to a site that you could otherwise recycle as part of the weekly kerbside collection.

There is no limit on how much recycling you can put out, and you can always order additional recycling containers from the council website. The council is continuing to work alongside its waste partner Kier to ensure that weekly recycling collections and fortnightly waste collections of household waste can continue without interruption. I’d like to thank staff and residents for working together and helping Bridgend County Borough to maintain a strong waste and recycling service during the Covid-19 crisis.

Councillor Richard Young, Cabinet Member for Communities