Pembrokeshire County Council’s Waste and Recycling Centres were in high demand when they re-opened this week.

As expected, there was large demand after PCC announced the re-opening of its six WRCs for essential use only from Tuesday (May 26) and the public has been thanked for following booking instructions.

More than 3,300 slots at the Centres were booked within 24 hours of going live last week (May 20); and as of Wednesday over 6,300 slots have been booked - more than half of those available across the six sites for the first two weeks.

Access to the sites is strictly via pre-booked slots only. If you do not have a booking, you will not be allowed on site.

Over 900 vehicles visited the County’s six sites on Tuesday for their pre booked slots, with householders thanked for following the new guidelines and adhering to social distancing on the sites.

Traffic management systems were put in place where required and queue times kept short by the creation of a mandatory booking system, providing 15 minute slots per vehicle.

Staff were on hand to ensure operations ran smoothly while following all social distancing and health and safety guidelines.

“I am delighted to say that our Waste and Recycling Centres re-opened today,” remarked PCC leader Clr. David Simpson on Tuesday.

“I want to thank everyone for using the online booking system which we have set up to avoid long queues at the sites themselves.

“I’m pleased to report that the initial feedback is very positive from those who have attended so far.

“It appears that only a few people turned up not having pre-booked and they had to be turned away.

“The unlocking of the many public facilities that we run across the County takes a lot of planning and co-ordination.

“I hope everyone understands that we have to phase these re-openings to ensure we can adhere to items such as social distancing while at the same time following government advice and guidelines.

“I also appreciate that people want to get back to normal so please be assured that the Authority will update you all in advance of any further re-openings,” he added.

The re-opening drew plenty of positive comments with praise for the effectiveness of the specially designed booking system, well organised systems and layout on site, short waiting times and friendliness and helpfulness of staff.

To help residents ahead of their visit, plans of the sites with layouts of the waste and recycling containers have been published online.

Residents are asked to review the layout plans to help sort their waste and recycling and pack their vehicles correctly in advance of their visit.

This will ensure the smooth operation of the sites continues.

To further assist staff on site, residents are please asked to bring the booking confirmation emails with them where possible and to not arrive more than 15 minutes in advance of their booked time.

Councillor Cris Tomos, the Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment, said:  “So much hard work has gone into how best to re-open this important service for the people of Pembrokeshire while ensuring the safety of the public and our staff.

“Thanks go to every single person involved, including the public who have read and followed the guidelines introduced.

“We will continue to review the site guidelines, operation and management over coming days.”

There are still slots available this week at Hermon, Manorowen and St Davids and slots available next week at all six sites, although as expected, some sites are filling up quicker than others.

Bookings can continue to be made online at https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/waste-bookings or, if internet use is not possible, via 01437 764551.

Full details, including maps of each of the WRC sites and authorised vehicles are available at: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/waste-bookings