New summer opening hours for recycling centres

The council says the new times, which come into force from Monday, March 29 until September 24, have been informed by usage data and should ensure a more sustainable service for the public.

During this period, to meet public demand for the service, each centre will be open until 7pm one day a week, with last entry at 6.45pm on these nights.

Councillor Gordon Edgar, executive member for roads and infrastructure, said: “By referring to the data we have collected and changing the opening hours of those sites accordingly, we hope to encourage increased use of our facilities and maximise the amount of waste recycled.”

The late night opening days are as follows: Mondays – Eshiels, Galashiels, Hawick and Eyemouth; Tuesdays – Selkirk and Duns; and Kelso on Wednesdays.

The new opening hours are – Monday to Friday: 10am-1.15pm, 2pm-4.45pm. Saturday and Sunday: 9am-1.15pm, 2pm-4.45pm.

Each centre will continue to be closed one day a week.

Meanwhile, the amount of waste recycled through the council's recycling centres continues to increase, reaching 74% in June last year.

To reduce the spread of coronavirus, and ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, the following guidance remains in place for all community recycling centres:

All visitors must adhere to the Scottish Government’s FACTS guidance, including social distancing Visitors are limited to one visit a day To reduce footfall, a one person per vehicle limit remains in place. The only exception is for heavy items such as washing machines where two people can leave the vehicle to offload waste No assistance can be provided by site staff to offload materials

Reuse Cabins remain closed, so anyone wishing to donate items are asked to keep hold of them until restrictions lift.

The recycling centres continue to experience a high volume of visitors, and a temporary odd and even number plate system remains in place at the Eshiels centre.