Cycling to a recycling centre

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Stradageek
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Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by Stradageek »

I thought this email trail might prove interesting to some - my campaign continues

My original email

Dear Sir or Madam

I have several items that can only be disposed of at your recycling centres e.g. fluorescent light bulbs but i do not have a car. can i cycle into the recycling centres? it hardly seems very environmentally friendly to only allow access to cars and vans!


The reply which I finally received from the waste services subcontractor

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for your query.

The purpose of the HWRCs is to provide members of the public with facilities to dispose of occasional and exceptional household waste, complementing the comprehensive kerbside collection services that are provided. Pedestrian movement within the HWRCs is something that the site staff monitor on a daily basis during operational hours in order to ensure the sites are safe for members of the public to access. Unfortunately, not every person who uses the HWRCs follows the strict health and safety rules and site staff regularly have to speak to members of the public about their driving or pedestrian movements whilst carrying waste. Whilst every effort has been made to minimise the dangers that are on site, there will always remain a danger of pedestrians or cyclists coming into contact with moving vehicles. Consequently, we have taken the fully informed decision that general pedestrian access to XXX's network of nine HWRCs will not be permitted for Health and Safety reasons, unless prior arrangements have been made.

The second reason for the decision not to permit pedestrian access was in in order for XXXX (the Council’s contractor) to be able to support the HWRC e-permit scheme and prevent any members of public wanting to park their vehicle outside the HWRC and walk materials into the site, thus avoiding using a permitted visit or indeed having to apply for a permit. We found that in the early stages of the implementation of the e-permit scheme, these were the lengths that members of public would go to, in order to prevent having to apply.

Please can you advise what waste you need to dispose of/recycle? If these items cannot be readily accepted at the kerbside for recycling or disposal, please can you advise which HWRC site you plan to visit, as well as the date and general time you wish to go? We can then make special arrangements for XXX to allow you escorted access on foot at this specified time.

Kind regards



*e-permits are free but required for non-commercial vans or cars with trailers.

And this is my reply, so let's see what happens next :?

Hi

Thanks for your detailed reply, though it is disappointing that an eco-friendly waste recycling centre has so much trouble accommodating an eco-warrior on a bicycle. Prior to the COVID restrictions I was able to regularly visit the XXXX site by bicycle to dispose of non-kerbside collectable waste including metal waste from the cycle repairs I carry out for a local charity. I was always greeted courteously by the site staff who were more than willing to accommodate my presence. I fail to see that much has changed.

But moving on; the goods I wish to dispose of are (on this visit) a number of fluorescent light bulbs and a laptop, containing a Li-ion battery.

I appreciate your offer to pre-book my visit and my preference would be 10-11am this Friday 7th Jan at the XXX Lane recycling centre.

Perhaps a way forward would be to offer cycling/walking permits to people who sign up to a set of guidelines that you believe would guarantee the safety of all concerned without impacting the efficient running of the centre?

Here's hoping

Kind regards
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mjr
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by mjr »

Thanks for working on this. Cycle-recycling should be allowed everywhere. I just ride onto Norfolk sites and haven't yet been challenged. I go when I have time, which is unpredictable, so I'd not accept having to book when motorists don't.

As to that reply, a cycle is a vehicle, so such comments on foot access are missing the point. Is it copy-pasta?

But even though the ban on pedestrians isn't a cycling campaign matter, I do wonder about the dedicated green-minded people taking their recycling by bus. Why should they be penalised for the sins of motorists?
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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PH
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by PH »

You might want to point out to them that other councils seem to manage it:
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... XO33b-Ha5U
hemo
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by hemo »

Hope you don't mid me asking, which county is this stradageek ?
simonhill
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by simonhill »

Southend Council allow me to cycle into my recycling site, no booking necessary. They don't allow pedestrians, but I think that is partly because they are usually queue jumping car drivers/passengers.

I was ready for a challenge when on my bike, but none came. The whole talk about pedestrians would be more valid if you had to remain in your vehicle while the staff unloaded and disposed of your rubbish. The spread of skips and bins at my tip makes 'wandering around a bit' necessary.
gbnz
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by gbnz »

hemo wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 5:20pm Hope you don't mid me asking, which county is this stradageek ?
It isn't Northumberland, is it? Northumberland bans recycling via cycling or walking, again giving a H & S rationale (Nb. Can't refer to a former career, but the H & S rationale is absolute, utter, nonsense at our local centres)

Over a 12 year period I've found the most effective approach is to simply ignore the staff. On collecting 20-30 fruit juice containers over a number of months, I cunningly cycle or walk past the 10-12 No. 4/4's sitting outside the recycling centre, with their engines running, adopting an effective non-engagement approach, I've always found to be a useful tool.
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mjr
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by mjr »

gbnz wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 7:24pm
hemo wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 5:20pm Hope you don't mid me asking, which county is this stradageek ?
It isn't Northumberland, is it? Northumberland bans recycling via cycling or walking, again giving a H & S rationale (Nb. Can't refer to a former career, but the H & S rationale is absolute, utter, nonsense at our local centres)
I think Stradageek is near Northampton. Not the most bike-friendly county. I used to ride across the border into MK any chance I got!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Pete Owens
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by Pete Owens »

gbnz wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 7:24pm Northumberland bans recycling via cycling or walking, again giving a H & S rationale (Nb. Can't refer to a former career, but the H & S rationale is absolute, utter, nonsense at our local centres)
Same excuse for banning walking at our local tip - though they haven't stopped me cycling there.

It can't possibly be the genuine reason, because that would mean forbidding people from getting out of their cars to unload their rubbish.
gbnz
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by gbnz »

Pete Owens wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 11:51pm
It can't possibly be the genuine reason
Oh, it's not the genuine reason. Suppose I've had experience at a certain level, within all the organisations which'd be directly involved in managing/defending/prosecuting the site in respect to both it's operational management and statutory measures affecting it I.e. If a cyclist were squashed on site, whilst recycling a fruit juice container, I'll have served at all levels which'd be effected by the squashed cyclist :lol:(Nb. Not that I've ever had direct involvement with the facility in question)
Stradageek
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by Stradageek »

hemo wrote: 5 Jan 2022, 5:20pm Hope you don't mid me asking, which county is this stradageek ?
I am indeed in Northamptonshire.

After the above comments, and just for the fun of it, I shall try cycling to the HWRC on Friday (whether I get authorisation or not) and see what transpires.

Not sure I'd agree with mjr about Northants being unfriendly to cyclists. The Northampton riverside route allows me to cycle 9 miles through Northampton town (crossing only one road using a toucan) whilst in the countryside there are a number of designated 'quiet' lanes and multitudinous others that are simply quiet
thirdcrank
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by thirdcrank »

IMO there's a broader issue here about waste collection and disposal, which is the basis of residents' permits. I live about a mile from a site - created in the days when the waste disposal authority was the now-defunct metropolitan county council and now operated by Kirklees. ie That recycling centre is now available to around half of the catchment area for which it was planned. My nearest Leeds sites are both a 7 - 8 mile trip away. The scrapping of the county didn't happen everywhere, of course, but it seems quite common for local authorities to put their waste disposal sites as close to the edge of their area as possible to reduce the upset of their own electorate.

IMO, the harder it is to dispose of waste, the more people will dump stuff in the nearest quiet lane.
hemo
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by hemo »

Here in West Sx the recycling contract is carried out by Viridor and again no access by foot or bike, so on the bike side one can't use an eco friendly means of transport, not sure if it was on this forum or another one but someone else tried not 10 miles away at another site in West Sx and was flatly refused entry with bike/trailer combo.
I see no reason why a cycle/trailer can't be allowed and a coned off marked bay for cycle parking/unloading only.
My local one also has to be pre booked and only county residents allowed, the traffic/usage volume from what I see is some 70% or so less then it use to be.
thirdcrank
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by thirdcrank »

When last I looked, my own local authority - Leeds - did allow cyclists to enter sites, but I maintain this is part of a wider problem which stems from waste collection and disposal being a local responsibility. Another manifestation of this is the lack of any sort of consistency about what can be collected for recycling manifested by the myriad differently coloured wheelie bins. We've had them in one form or another and the council got things off to a really bad start by communicating in town clerk speak. It took a long time for them to realise that they needed a different approach and they still have a long way to go. The foot soldiers are generally good around here, not so much their leadership.
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mjr
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by mjr »

Ok, I'll try to start a list for England and update it as we get reports. If it is enough of a mess, maybe gov.uk environment department can be prodded into action:

Cycle-recycling in England:

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Bath and North East Somerset Council - cyclists allowed and no booking required. Other vehicles need to book an appointment to access the site. Pedestrians are not allowed to access the site. From comment below.
Bedford Borough Council
Bedfordshire County Council
Birmingham City Council
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Blackpool Council
Bolton Council - allowed, see comment on later page.
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council
Bracknell Forest Borough Council
Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Brighton and Hove City Council
Bristol City Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Calderdale Council
Cambridgeshire County Council
Central Bedfordshire Council
Cheshire East Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Cornwall Council
Coventry City Council - allowed, press report
Cumbria County Council
Darlington Borough Council
Derby City Council - allowed, press report
Derbyshire County Council
Devon County Council
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
Dorset County Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Durham County Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
East Sussex County Council
Essex County Council
Gateshead Council
Gloucestershire County Council
Greenwich Council
Halton Borough Council
Hampshire County Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Herefordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Isle of Wight Council
Council of the Isles of Scilly
Kent County Council - booking required, one commenter below booked as a bike, booking accepted, then told off at site but allowed to drop waste.
Kingston-upon-Hull City Council
Kirklees Council
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Lancashire County Council
Leeds City Council - allowed, on website, link in this thread
Leicester City Council
Leicestershire County Council
Lewisham Council
Lincolnshire County Council
Liverpool City Council
London Boroughs: some cycle and foot access to Kingston (Sunday afternoons), Richmond (no foot), Merton, Southwark, Sutton, Wandsworth, based on comment below.
Luton Borough Council
Manchester City Council
Medway Council
Middlesbrough Council
Milton Keynes Council
Newcastle City Council
Norfolk County Council - allowed, on website for Norwich centres (cycling in vehicle queue, or 2 days notice by phone for foot access)
North East Lincolnshire Council
North Lincolnshire Council
North Northamptonshire Council
North Somerset Council - prohibited, website link in later post
North Tyneside Council
North Yorkshire County Council
Northumberland County Council - forbidden
Nottingham City Council
Nottinghamshire County Council - "bikes are allowed by prior appointment (ring customer services). You will be met at the entrance and escorted onto site." (comment on later page)
Oldham Council
Oxfordshire County Council - cycling yes, foot no, on website, link in this thread.
Peterborough City Council
Plymouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council
Reading Borough Council
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Rutland County Council
Salford City Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Sefton Council
Sheffield City Council
Shropshire County Council
Slough Borough Council
Solihull Council
Somerset County Council - allowed, see comment on later page.
South Gloucestershire Council
South Tyneside Council
Southampton City Council
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council - cycling allowed, foot no, see comments below.
St Helens Council
Staffordshire County Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Suffolk County Council
Sunderland City Council
Surrey County Council
Swindon Borough Council
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Telford and Wrekin Council
Thurrock Council
Torbay Council
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
Wakefield Council
Walsall Council
Warrington Borough Council
Warwickshire County Council
West Berkshire Council
West Northamptonshire Council - by pre-arranged appointment only?
West Sussex County Council - now freely accessible by bike (see viewtopic.php?p=1686685#p1686685 )
Wigan Council
Wiltshire County Council
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
Wokingham Borough Council
Wolverhampton City Council
Worcestershire County Council
City of York Council
Last edited by mjr on 27 Jan 2023, 11:53pm, edited 11 times in total.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Stradageek
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Re: Cycling to a recycling centre

Post by Stradageek »

thirdcrank wrote: 6 Jan 2022, 9:48am IMO, the harder it is to dispose of waste, the more people will dump stuff in the nearest quiet lane.
Quite so, as COVID restrictions on site openings (and the size of the queues) increased so did the fly tipping I observed on Northamptonshires quiet country lanes.

PS This arrived this morning:

Dear Cxxxx

To confirm, XXXX have been made aware that you have arranged to go to Ecton HWRC tomorrow morning between 10-11am and the site staff know to expect you.

Kind regards

Waste Management
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