RESIDENTS are being urged to follow the rules and only to make essential visits to the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) in Radcliffe when it partially re-opens this Saturday.

Only bagged household waste will be accepted at the Cemetery Road site, which is one of a number of centres in Greater Manchester to open with restrictions and new measures in place to protect residents and staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment at Bury Council, said: “It’s absolutely vital that the people of Bury continue to work with us here.

“This is not a return to normal. Public safety, safety of the staff and the need for social distancing is paramount – only consider visiting the tip if it is genuinely essential, in other words if you have extra waste that is causing a health risk.

“Also – regular household (grey bin) waste, bagged up, is the ONLY waste that the centres will be taking. Do not bring along garden waste, furniture or electrical items – these will not be taken. You will have wasted your journey.”

Radcliffe HWRC will be open from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday and from 8am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Pedestrian access will not be permitted. The recycling centre in Every Street, Bury will remain closed until further notice.

The council has said that travel to a HWRC should only be made if absolutely essential, while the number of cars on the site are set to be limited.

Only bagged general household waste will be accepted and only one person per vehicle will be allowed out to dispose of their bagged waste.

Staff at the HWRC will not be able to assist with unloading.

Visitors will be required to show proof of your address, such as a Council Tax, gas or electricity bill.

The day you can take your bagged waste to a HWRC will depend on your vehicle registration plate.

In order to control the number of vehicles accessing the HWRC a traffic control system will be in place based on odd and even vehicle registration plates, i.e. plates ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 (odd) and 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 (even). This means all vehicle owners will only be able to access the HWRCs on certain days of the week.

You can check the days and dates allocated to even and odd vehicle registration plates and opening times for all centres across Greater Manchester at the Recycle for Greater Manchester website: https://recycleforgreatermanchester.com/coronavirus-covid-19-update-and-advice/

Cllr Quinn added: “Make sure that you go to the tip on the correct day, depending on your car registration plate, take your proof of address, and remember that no trade waste, large vans or trailers will be allowed. Have patience if waiting in a queue, and respect the residents who live in the area.

“In Bury, we have continued to keep all four household bin collections going, thanks to the huge efforts of our staff and crews. Please continue to use all your recycling bins, and store any excess items at home until the lockdown is over.

“Our residents have been superb over these last few weeks, however, I have to add this: any intimidating behaviour, threats towards staff or local residents will result in the HWRCs being shut.”