Huge Queues at Ealing Council Tips After Reopening
Waiting times of up to three hours reported at recycling centres
Queues for Greenford tip. Picture: MPs Greenford Broadway
There have been long queues at both of Ealing’s recycling centres since they reopened on 18 May with some residents reporting having to wait for over three hours.
Demand for use of the tips in Greenford and Stirling Road in South Acton has been high as people seek to dispose of waste accumulated during the lockdown.
The local police team in Greenford Broadway are advising people to avoid the area as queues have been stretching back to Ruislip Road East.
There have also been serious issues at the Stirling Road recycling centre every day since reopening. Stirling Road and part of Roslin Road have been completely log jammed.
Chris Grainger of Stone and Ceramic Warehouse, which is opposite the Stirling Road facility said that the current chaos has the effect of sealing off his customers, staff and suppliers. He has only recently been able to reopen his showroom to customers. On the first day of reopening a delivery lorry took an hour to get from Bollo Lane to his premises.
Traffic chaos on Stirling Road after tip reopens
Other businesses in the area including building supply company Lawsons and the Ocado Zoom facility have been experiencing difficulties in getting access for articulated trucks to their sites.
He said, “We are all business that have been severely affected by the pandemic, or are vital in supplying food to vulnerable people isolating. This current situation heaps more challenges on our struggling business.
“Another issue is that practically every car in the road has their engines idling, vastly increasing the pollution.”
Lorry delivering to Stone and Ceramic Warehouse took a hour to get from Bollo Lane
Although Ocado Zoom operates through mopeds and cars speedily delivering online groceries the delivery vehicles are being delayed by up to an hour entering the estate to collect goods.
Mr Grainger and other businesses in the area have criticised the way in which the queues are being managed saying it has the effect of creating a bottleneck around the recycling plant as traffic entering the site is directed past the northerly entrance to enter at the south. Exiting vehicles are told to turn left and proceed around the queues trying to enter.
He says that the problem could be mitigated if business their staff and suppliers were allowed access through Colville Road and the flow of traffic around the recycling site was reversed and the hours of operation altered.
The tips at Greenford Road and Stirling Road reopened from 8am to 4pm on Monday 18 May, but users are told not to arrive at the centres after 3.30pm.
The council are advising residents only to visit the tips if it is essential, and said that plans are in place to manage queues. Social distancing measures are in place to stop the spread of coronavirus, and there will be no pedestrian access.
To reduce the risk of spreading the disease at the site, the number of cars and time allowed for visits is limited.
Other local authorities have taken additional to manage demand at recycling sites, for instance limiting access to cars based on their car registration number.
Users are asked to separate out recycling materials before arriving at the tip to save time, and only one adult is allowed to leave each car when on site. No help will be given for handling heavy items, and those who cannot lift rubbish are asked to contact the council’s bulky waste collection service which is still operating.
Ealing residents are also able to use Space Waye, Reuse and Recycling Centre North Feltham Trading Estate, Pier Road, Feltham, TW14 0TH.
A spokesperson for Ealing Council said, "At this stage we are of course monitoring the situation and have been working closely to provide residents with updates throughout the last week. We are reiterating that residents should only visit if absolutely necessary and that people should expect queues of over an hour".
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May 21, 2020