Parish News

All “business as usual” materials are now being accepted at all 16 recycling sites in Somerset.

That includes cardboard as well as commercial waste and other waste you pay to dispose of – including tyres, gas bottles, soil and hardcore, vehicle parts, plasterboard and asbestos (card payment only).

Trailers and vans can access the sites at any time, as long as they have the appropriate permit.

Although sites have been busy, the recently introduced “shop-style” social distancing arrangements – floor markings and signs – have worked well.

However, please note, staff are unable to offer any assistance with unloading or handling any waste or items.

Unfortunately, no items brought to sites can be put forward for reuse at the moment. They will be recycled where possible until a safe way to handle them has been agreed. Anyone planning to bring items that are fit for reuse is asked to keep hold of them for the time being.

Once on site, safety restrictions remain in place, including:
• Gloves to be worn when outside the vehicle
• Maximum of two people per household
• Strict social distancing
• On busier sites traffic, may still be directed by staff

All sites are open for their usual summer hours. There have been long queues at peaks times, notably first thing in the morning, and we will continue to encourage people to only visit the sites when they really need. Quieter times tend to be 4pm-6pm on weekdays.

Queue cams are operating for Bridgwater, Chard, Highbridge, Minehead, Street, Taunton, Wells and Yeovil, and we would advise people to check these before they visit.

There have been significant improvements with collection services, with far fewer missed collections and quicker return visits when collections are missed. Customer services teams have also considerably reduced the backlog of requests.

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The Parish Council is currently considering a project to replace some of the green space in Quantock View with parking spaces.

The spaces will provide additional parking and avoid cars parking around the current green space which, on occasion, makes the road too narrow for larger vehicles (including emergency vehicles) to get through.

There are two potential schemes one with parking just to one side (to the east) and the other with parking on two sides (to the east and the south). Subject to the necessary permissions, both schemes will incorporate work to rectify the issue with the drain at the corner to avoid future flooding issues.

The Parish Council would appreciate your comments and feedback on the two schemes. Do you prefer one scheme to the other? Are you in support of the proposal or are you against it? In either case it would be good if you could provide some explanation for your answers.

Please send email your comments (clerk@bishopslydeard.org) regarding the proposal by 13th July 2020.

Car Park Scheme Option C

Car Park Scheme Option D

20 06 05 SWP sites from 8 June

From Monday 1 June, all 16 recycling sites will be returning to standard summer opening hours. Opening hours information will be updated on the Somerset Waste Partnership website from Monday morning.

For more information, see the attached press release and for the detail of which sites will be open when, please check the attached timetable. Note that for Frome, Taunton and Yeovil, this will mean a return to seven days a week opening.

From Monday, we will also be ending the odds and even number plate access system for all sites.

All other restrictions remain in place – no extra materials are being accepted compared to this week, max two people per household, wearing gloves, trailers and 3.5 tonne vans only between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays.

While this is a key step towards business as usual, we are avoiding making too many changes at once so we do not create an unmanageable or unsafe situation for residents or staff.

There will be further phases to get us back to as close to usual as possible.

We will continue to highlight that queues are to be expected due to the social distancing measures that are in place, and will remind people to turn off their engines if waiting, and that trips should only be made if they are really necessary.

SWP PR recycling centres hour from 1 June 29.5.20

Updates provided by the Somerset Waste Partnership are available here:

SWP Briefing late May 2020 FINAL SWP Recycling site timetable week beginning 25 May 2020

The Man in the High Castle