North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is calling on Barnet residents to stop and think carefully before rushing to visit one of north London’s reuse and recycling centres (RRCs).

NLWA is reopening six RRCsExternal link starting from Wednesday (13 May), after they were closed at the beginning of the Government-ordered lockdown. The sites are operating a restricted service to allow people to dispose of limited household or garden waste items.

Restrictions will be in place at the six RRCs – Summers Lane in Barnet, Hornsey Street in Islington, Western Road in Haringey, and Gateway Road, King’s Road and South Access Road in Waltham Forest – and visitors will need to book a slot before they can attend. Only a limited number of cars will be allowed on site at one time and site staff will not able to assist visitors. This is to ensure social distancing guidelines can be adhered to and to make sure that, especially, residents at risk are able to dispose of their waste safely.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA, said: “If the COVID-19 outbreak has shown one thing, it is its huge impact on us all. That’s why it is so important that residents think carefully about whether keeping unwanted items or household waste at home is absolutely necessary and is putting them at risk of harm before trying to visit an RRC.

“All of the reopened sites will be operating a booking system. Please be responsible – don’t go to an RRC unless you absolutely need to. We know it’s inconvenient, we know you want rid of these items, but if you can hang on to those items for a bit longer, we can all make sure that someone who really needs to use an RRC can do so.”

Councillor Dean Cohen, Chair of Barnet Council’s Environment Committee, said: “It’s great that our Summers Lane depot can reopen for people who really need to use it. However, residents should only go if they really need to. The coronavirus is still a big threat that we must protect ourselves from at all costs. We will continue to do everything we can to prevent its spread.”

Reuse and recycling centres are not open for general use by the public as normal. This is to enable site staff to deal with expected high demand on sites as efficiently as possible, and to maintain proper social distancing.

In the meantime, NLWA is encouraging residents to: make the most of their household waste and recycling collections; to use any bulky waste and hazardous waste collections offered by their local borough; to store other items safely at home; and to try and reduce the amount of waste they produce. Information, advice and tips on wasting less is available at wiseuptowaste.org.ukExternal link