Merseyside Household Waste Recycling Centres REOPEN – Coronavirus update

1st May 2020

Carl Beer, Chief Executive, Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA)

I am pleased to say that across the City Region, 13 out of 16 Household Waste Recycling Centres will be open at 8.00 am on the morning of Monday 4th May 2020. Residents will be able to access 11 Merseyside sites plus both sites in Halton.

Many thanks go to all MRWA, Veolia, and Council and Police staff involved in the lengthy and challenging preparations. Thank you as well to Halton Council, staff and elected members for synchronising with the Authority’s plans for a unified approach. I appreciate the great work undertaken by all concerned.

The three sites that are exceptions to the reopening are:

·       Rainhill, St. Helens
·       Formby, Sefton
·       Sefton Meadows, Sefton

These sites will remain closed, pending further detailed discussions with local councils and the Police to ensure safe traffic management arrangements are implemented. Watch this space on those sites.

We have all our arrangements in place and we are good to go Monday 4th May. We will however have to see how it goes. We’ll have MRWA and Veolia staff monitoring every site – as well as updating our website and social media feeds every day with what is happening on the ground. We also appreciate that our colleagues in Council Highways teams and the Police will also be monitoring, particularly traffic and surrounding roads to our sites.

If we have insurmountable problems with any site, I will endeavour to speak to MRWA Members before any decision to further restrict or close any site. I very much hope that doesn’t happen, but we know we have some very difficult traffic and operational challenges on certain sites and safety must come first.