INCREASING numbers of people are making 'frivolous' tip runs in Dorset despite lockdown restrictions still being in place - sparking a warning from council bosses.

Dorset Council has now told residents to stop taking their rubbish to the tip unless it is absolutely essential and cannot be stored at home.

Recent warm weather has resulted in household recycling centres (HRC) becoming busy again as visitors drop off their items – primarily garden waste and wood – which is starting to cause long queues, creating access problems for residents, businesses and kerbside collection vehicles.

Last May, Dorset Council re-opened its HRCs with safety restrictions in place after they were closed in the early stages of the pandemic. Initially, extra people were brought in to manage queuing traffic, but this was scaled back as visitor numbers eased over the summer, with volunteers and employees deployed elsewhere.

Lately the mild weather in Dorset has encouraged people to begin gardening again, or spring cleaning - producing more waste, which in turn causes visitor numbers to rise.

The council is asking everyone if they really need to visit an HRC, or whether they can keep their waste at home safely until social distancing measures are relaxed. We also want to thank those who are postponing their visit for these reasons.

Councillor Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services, said:

“I completely understand that people want to get on with their usual activities and pastimes, including gardening or even having a clear-out. These can be a great way of being productive while everything remains closed. But these activities produce waste, and everyone needs to remember that the whole country is still very much in lockdown.

"HRCs are open to deal with essential waste; they are not an invitation for people to make a “trip to the tip”, especially when public health guidance states we should all be avoiding unnecessary travel right now.

"We don’t want to reintroduce costly traffic management measures, or start scrutinising the types of waste that are being dropped off, but we also cannot excuse the sheer number of visitors who are doing frivolous tip-runs at a time when everyone is being asked help contain the virus by staying at home whenever possible."