Earlier summer opening hours for rubbish tips
The majority of Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRSs) were closed for two days a week from October 2016, while opening hours were also reduced as part of cost-cutting measures.
Since then West Sussex County Council has conducted a review of future options, which are now due to be introduced at the start of April 2018.
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Hide AdIn the summer all rubbish tips will be open from 9am-6pm, apart from Bognor Regis, Crawley, and Littlehampton, which will all open at 8.30am on weekdays, to address problems with queuing.
Meanwhile in the winter opening hours will be 9am-4pm across the board.
According to officers: “During the spring of 2017 it became apparent that, having changed site opening times to 10am (from 8am summer and 9am winter) was causing disruptive queuing at a number of sites.
“This seemed to be caused by a significant number of site users arriving well before the gates opened at 10am.
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Hide Ad“This created a backlog of users queuing, which frequently did not clear until late morning.”
Other changes will see the sites at Westhampnett, Burgess Hill, and Crawley close for a day a week during winter.
Meanwhile Worthing’s rubbish tip will be open six days a week in winter, compared to the current five, and all week during summer.
According to officers the changes last year saved the council £560,000 a year but the new option is estimated to increase costs by £24,000.
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Hide AdThe decision report says: “The sites continue to be well used and well regarded by residents. The recommended options would not change the overall availability of seven out of eleven sites, improves availability at Worthing.
“While opening days would be reduced from seven to six at Crawley, Burgess Hill and Westhampnett in the winter, these sites would still open for one day a week more than the rest.”