New booking system for Portree Household Waste Recycling Centre
The Highland Council is pleased to announce that the Portree Household Waste Recycling Centre will re-open on Monday 15th June 2020 with a new online booking system.
Householders wishing to deposit waste at the site are advised that they will need to pre-book a time slot on the Council’s website www.highland.gov.uk/PortreeRecycling and receive confirmation before travelling to the site. Portree HWRC is the old site on the island. By introducing the booking system people travelling considerable distances across Skye to visit can do so with the reassurance that their journey will not be in vain.
The Portree site is open for essential waste disposal only, and householders are advised that journeys to a HWRC must only be undertaken if their waste cannot be stored at home safely. By this we mean the waste cannot be stored without causing risk of injury, or harm to health.
Only cars will be permitted access to the site and the material accepted will be restricted to bagged household waste, garden waste, electrical appliances and cardboard. The site will also be operating with revised opening hours - Monday to Friday 9:00-15:30 (closed for lunch 12:00-13:00).
The booking system has been introduced to reduce the waiting time for visitors and will also help to manage traffic flow at the facility. Booking a slot will be quick and easy; residents need to enter their name, address and car registration details, 48 hours in advance of visiting the site. Once the booking is complete, a confirmation email and text will be sent to residents which must be shown when visiting the Portree HWRC.
Councillor Allan Henderson, Chair of The Highland Council’s Communities and Places Committee, said: “Re-opening the Portree Household Waste Recycling Centre for the communities in Skye and Lochalsh has been a top priority for the Council since many of the other sites in the region were opened last week.
“Before the site could be re-opened we needed to be confident that the staffing resource was available, and that social distancing measures and traffic management could be safely and efficiently managed. The introduction of the booking system is a key part in helping to manage the number of visitors using the site to a safe standard and will save residents time as they can simply book a slot 48 hours in advance, then turn up and dispose of their waste without sitting in queues. We don’t want to see people travelling considerable distances from across the Island to visit without knowing they have a confirmed time slot.”
He added: “I would encourage all residents wishing to use the site in Portree to read the Frequently Asked Questions on the Council’s website to find out more about the new procedures, as anyone who turns up without a booking will unfortunately not be permitted access to the site.”
To manage the large volume of waste and high visitor numbers to HWRC, a phased approach has been adopted to re-opening the facilities across the region. The restrictions on vehicles and materials is to reduce the time spent at the sites by individuals, so that as many as people as possible can pass through the sites quickly and safely, enabling traffic to flow more freely. Only one person will be permitted to leave their vehicle to dispose of their waste. Site staff are unable to assist with handling waste, therefore householders should only bring waste they can carry and empty into the containers. To cut down on time spent at the site, householders should bring garden waste in bags and empty the contents into the containers.
All HWRC across Scotland were closed in March due to the Scottish Governments COVID-19 restrictions on non – essential movement. The re-opening of Portree HWRC, will bring the total number of sites open across the Highland Council area to 15.
To pre-book a slot to use the Portree HWRC visit: www.highland.gov.uk/PortreeRecycling
To help reduce the spread of the of Coronavirus site staff will be adopting robust hygiene standards. Householders should wash their hands before and after visiting a HWRC. Please also observe social distancing and stay 2 metres apart from staff and other site users when at a HWRC. Householders are reminded not to visit the site if they are showing symptoms of Coronavirus.
Batteries, lamps and light bulbs are not accepted at the present time so please continue to safely store these at home. Many retailers offer a household battery recycling take back service. Strictly no commercial waste or recycling will be accepted at any HWRC.
Chair of the Isle of Skye and Raasay Committee, Councillor John Gordon said: “I would like to thank all the staff who have been working hard to ensure our Skye HWRC can open safely. I want to also thank the public for their understanding and patience. For the re-opening to be successful we are relying on people to book their slots and follow all the guidance provided. I know people will be keen to drop off waste they have been storing as soon as possible but I ask everyone to be considerate to staff and other visitors to the site and only make the booking if it is really necessary.”
Further information can be found by visiting: www.highland.gov.uk/PortreeRecycling or email recycle@highland.gov.uk