PEMBROKESHIRE County Council has hailed the reopening of their waste and recycling centres (WRCs) a success.

Over 900 vehicles visited the county’s six sites on Tuesday, May 26, for their pre booked slots.

Householders have been thanked for following the new guidelines and adhering to social distancing on the sites.

Traffic management systems were put in place where required and queue times kept short by the creation of a mandatory booking system, providing 15 minute slots per vehicle.

Staff were on hand to ensure operations ran smoothly while following all social distancing and health and safety guidelines.

The re-opening drew plenty of positive comments with praise for the effectiveness of the specially designed booking system, well organised systems and layout on site, short waiting times and friendliness and helpfulness of staff.

Residents have been thanked for using the new booking system and following guidelines closely.

The few vehicles that did attempt to access the sites without a booking were turned away. Residents are reminded that booking is essential.

To help residents ahead of their visit, plans of the sites with layouts of the waste and recycling containers have been published online.

Residents are asked to review the layout plans to help sort their waste and recycling and pack their vehicles correctly in advance of their visit.

This will ensure the smooth operation of the sites continues.

To further assist staff on site, residents are please asked to bring the booking confirmation emails with them where possible and to not arrive more than 15 minutes in advance of their booked time.

Bookings first went live on Wednesday, May 20, with more than 3,300 appointments booked within the first 24 hours.

As of today (Wednesday, May 27) over 6300 slots have been booked - more than half of those available across the six sites for the first two weeks.

There are still slots available this week at Hermon, Manorowen and St Davids and slots available next week at all six sites, although as expected, some sites are filling up quicker than others.

Please do not turn up at sites without a booking as you will be turned away. Remember, no booking, no entry.

Bookings can continue to be made online at pembrokeshire.gov.uk/waste-bookings or, if internet use is not possible, via 01437 764551.

Councillor Cris Tomos, the cabinet member for the environment, said: “So much hard work has gone into how best to re-open this important service for the people of Pembrokeshire while ensuring the safety of the public and our staff.

“Thanks go to every single person involved, including the public who have read and followed the guidelines introduced.

“We will continue to review the site guidelines, operation and management over coming days.”

Full details, including maps of each of the WRC sites and authorised vehicles are available at: pembrokeshire.gov.uk/waste-bookings