Hour long queues as 880 Calderdale residents head to reopened waste centres

The Council say the two re-opened – for Calderdale residents only – centres, at Halifax and Brighouse, saw queuing times of between an hour and 90 minutes yesterday today (Monday, May 11).

Until yesterday morning all the borough’s recycling sites were closed for safety reasons amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the others remain closed.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Coun Susan Press said generally people had co-operated with staff to ensure strict safety measures were adhered to.

“Following the reopening of Household Waste Recycling Centres at Brighouse and Halifax, sites have been busy with an estimated queuing time of between an hour and 90 minutes.

“Traffic management is in place at each site to help manage the queues and limit the disruption on nearby roads.

“People must remain in their vehicle whilst queuing and are asked to switch off their engines to reduce idling and protect staff and other site users.

“Generally people have been understanding and have cooperated with the strict safety measures on site.

“Restrictions are in place for a reason, and staff won’t hesitate to turn people away or ask them to leave the site if these rules aren’t followed,” she said.

Coun Press (Lab, Todmorden) said that to ensure each visit is completed as quickly as possible, the council asks residents to familiarise themselves with the site restrictions before arriving.

“Remember that sites can only accept bagged general household waste, garden waste and bulky items of household waste, such as old furniture.

“Please don’t bring electrical bulky items or any other types of waste or recycling.

“Please only visit the sites if essential and continue to make full use of kerbside waste and recycling collections,” she said.

Proof of postal address is required on entry – for example a utility bill or driver’s licence – and only one person can travel there per car.

Limits on the type of waste is to ensure each visit is completed as quickly as possible.

Staff cannot assist with unloading, so people are asked to only bring items they can safely carry alone, says the council.