Bristol’s Reuse and Recycling centres will reopen to the public from Monday, 18 May.

Bristol City Council say’s it is working to ensure the safety of residents and staff, with new measures being put in place at both the Avonmouth and St Philips sites so everyone can follow guidelines around social distancing.

Anticipating an initial surge in visits following the temporary closure, the council is also asking everyone planning a visit to only go if absolutely necessary and otherwise store the items at home until a later date.

In a bid to help people plan their visit and reduce waiting times, short term measures include:

• An odd and even number plate system, which means people will only be able to visit on certain days

• Only cars and small vans will be allowed to use the site, and all must have proof they are Bristol residents

• People will be able to check a live stream of the queues before they leave home on the Bristol Waste website.

• Proof of address will be checked before you can enter the site and shown to staff through a closed window. You will need photo ID and a recent bill, or student ID. Any vehicle that arrives on site and does not have proof of address will be turned away.

• Crews will not be able to help with unloading materials from a vehicle. People are being asked to only bring what they can unload themselves or with the help of someone from their household.

• If there is more than one person in the vehicle, only one will be permitted to exit the vehicle to unload, unless an item require two people to carry it.

Sites may have to close again at short notice if too many people arrive at once, or if guidance on managing Covid-19 changes. Residents may be turned away if queues become too long.

Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: “While we are pleased to be able to reopen these sites, we want to make it clear that they will not be operating a normal service, and we would ask people to only visit if it is absolutely necessary.

“We need to remember that we are still in the middle of a global crisis, and we need to do all we can to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“I would like to thank everyone for their patience during this difficult time. If you do need to visit a recycling centre, please be patient with staff as they work hard to keep you safe.”

Both the garden waste and bulky waste collections are operating as usual across the city, as are regular black wheelie bin and recycling collections. Residents can make the most of the weekly recycling collections for items such as card, plastics, cans, glass and paper, and not bring them to the recycling centres. They can also place items such as wearable textiles, old electrical and electronic items, batteries etc at the kerbside in an untied bag. 

How the numberplate system works

If the last number of your vehicle number plate is 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 this is an even number plate.

Examples of even number plates:

• RL34 JGS (the last number is 4)

• V952 GHD (the last number is 2)

• PRIV8 A0 (the last number is 0)

If the last number of your vehicle number plate is 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 this is an odd number plate.

Examples of odd number plates:

• GJ25 HJK (the last number is 5)

• Y247 NDF (the last number is 7)

• PRIV8 A3 (the last number is 3)

You can only visit on the day’s below:

Mon 18 May - Even
Tues 19 May - Odd
Wed 20 May - Even
Thurs 21 May - Odd
Fri 22 May - Even
Sat 23 May - Odd
Sun 24 May - Even
Mon 25 May (Bank Holiday) - Odd
Tue 26 May - Even
Wed 27 May - Odd
Thurs 28 May - Even
Fri 29 May - Odd
Sat 30 May - Even
Sun 31 May - Odd