Summer recycling and safety advice to help you make the most of the break
The summer holidays mean many things to many people, but for lots of Oxfordshire residents it’s a time for an annual clear-out and a chance to recycle, or donate for reuse, any unwanted items.
August is a big time for the county council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres with 103,000 visits during August last year in comparison to 65,000 visits in February and 93,000 in July. It is also an important time to ensure all our residents remain safe when using our facilities.
The summer is a great time to pass on things that you may no longer use like clothes or electrical items to charity shops or friends. For anything you can’t donate, a trip to the local recycling centre is an ideal way to make space and get a bit of an environmental feel-good factor.
If you have an item to dispose of, and you’re not sure of its reuse potential, please double check with a member of the team at any recycling centre. It may still have an opportunity to be put aside and reused again!
You can find out more about getting the most from items you no longer need here https://bit.ly/2YoztDK
County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “Reducing waste and increasing reuse and recycling has never been more important to residents.
“Having a summer tidy up of the house and garden can result in things being binned that could be put to good use elsewhere so our advice is to think before you throw and, if you are planning to take advantage of the county council’s excellent recycling centres be sure to be safe.”
If you are planning a trip out to one of Oxfordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres a bit of preparation can make for a quicker and, most importantly, safer visit. The county council and its site operators advise:
- Sort before you visit
Pre-sorting your items at home can help you get in and out of your Recycling Centre quickly and efficiently.
- Avoid slips, trips and falls: be aware of your footwear
In summer’s warmer weather, you may be sporting flip flops or sandals – but take care and make sure you are in more suitable footwear when visiting your HWRC. You just don’t know what may have fallen on the ground where you’re walking, or who might drop something heavy, so sensible shoes are a must and bare feet are definitely not allowed!
- Follow the signs
On arrival, a member of staff will greet and guide you to the appropriate disposal bays. These are clearly laid out and signed to help you find them. Reverse parking will get you closer for easy access. Please keep to the speed limit which is sign posted across all sites.
- Keep kids and pets in vehicles
With cars, vans and trucks reversing and bulky items being moved around, it’s important that children of all ages (from toddlers to teens), as well as pets, stay in your vehicle for their own safety. Children are often keen to be green and help out at the HWRC – but sorting through your materials and organising them at home can help to keep them engaged with recycling, as well as safe.
Find your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre and opening hours at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/findarecyclingcentre
Please check the wide range of items that can be recycled before attending site at:
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingAtoZ
If you are planning on visiting any Oxfordshire HWRC in a pick-up truck or van (under 3.5 tonnes), or are a car towing a trailer between 1.8m and 3m, you will require a free permit. If using a hire vehicle for less than three days, the same vehicle restrictions apply, you do not need a permit but take the hire documents with you. However, if you are hiring for longer than three days you will require a permit to access the site. More information can be found at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/vantrailerpermits.