The household waste and recycling site in Bottesford is set to re-open next month for the first time in around a year.
The county council-run facility, in Normanton Lane, will be accepting rubbish again every other week on Fridays and Saturdays, starting from Friday June 10.
The site has been closed since the summer of last year – initially for essential maintenance to be carried out, but then because staffing levels were hit by a national shortage of lorry drivers, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
The council is now able to bring the Bottesford site back into use to help nearby residents, but continuing pressure on staffing levels mean the opening hours at Market Harborough waste site will be affected by the change.
Market Harborough waste site is the only one in the county currently open seven days a week but will return to its original five days a week opening schedule.
From Thursday June 9, it will close on Thursdays and Fridays each week to free up staff and drivers to allow Bottesford to re-open.
The Bottesford site is small and cannot accommodate large numbers of visitors’ vehicles at one time.
The council has warned there could be traffic queues if lots of people rush down to use it as soon as it reopens.
Bottesford also has limited capacity in the waste types it accepts so people are being asked to check the council’s website to see if they will be able to leave the waste they wish to before they set off to the site, especially in the first few weeks after re-opening.
This will help reduce the chance of further closures if the site cannot cope with demand.
People in the Bottesford area have been without their nearest waste site for a very long time now, so we’re pleased to be able to return the service to them - albeit on a limited basis.
We are still asking people to use the site if they only really need to and to check the council’s website to see if it is open before they set off.
Cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda councillor Blake PainPerson:Person:Council cabinet member for the environment and green agenda councillor Blake Pain Councillor Pain added: "Unfortunately, we are still at the mercy of national pressures on recruitment of operatives and drivers, so when we make a change to waste opening in one part of the county it has a knock-on effect in another.
“We are doing everything we can to overcome recruitment problems, but the situation is still difficult.
“Anyone interested in the environment who enjoys working in the outdoors could find job opportunities on our recruitment page.
“These latest changes are designed to ensure as many people in the county have access to a waste site near them, and I’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”
All the latest information on waste site opening times is available on the county council website.