Motorists abuse staff at Telford's reopened recycling centres
A number of motorists have been abusive to staff at Telford's newly-reopened recycling centres, it was revealed today.
Recycling centres in the borough reopened yesterday, albeit with restrictions, after being shut for over a month because of the coronavirus lockdown, and queues formed at the entrances as residents waited to get in.
Angie Astley, Telford & Wrekin Council's executive director for housing, communities and customer services, said: “Most people have been very understanding and patient, however there have been a very small number of people who have been quite abusive which is really not acceptable.
“Veolia staff at our recycling centres and our traffic marshals are there to help move people through the sites as quickly and safely as possible while we all adhere to social distancing rules.
"We know it isn’t fun being stuck in a queue, however our crews are doing all they can to help, so please show them some respect and understanding as we are all in this together.”
More Covid-19 coverage:
Pedestrians are not allowed to dump rubbish, while only a few cars are permitted in at a time.
Ms Astley said: “Our recycling centres opened this week for essential use only, and as expected they have been very busy.
"We have had traffic queueing at both Halesfield and Hortonwood recycling centres, with wait times of between 30 minutes and two hours at times.
“Unless a visit is ‘essential’, we ask people where possible to continue to store their waste at home. If they can’t store their waste, then they really do need to be prepared to queue, to follow the instructions of staff on the ground and to be patient."
One anonymous visitor to the recycling centre shared their appreciation for the council.
They said: “I have just returned from the Hortonwood recycling centre, your traffic management is superb and your staff are patient and polite even with 'shirty' and awkward motorists, brilliant operation.”
