The online booking system enabling Aberdeenshire residents to start making trips to household recycling centres is now live.

The online system will control the volume of vehicles accessing the centres when they reopen from Monday (1 June).

You can make your booking at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentrebookings

There might be heavy demand initially, so please be patient.

For those who do not have access to a computer, phone bookings can be made by calling Aberdeenshire Council’s Wasteline on 03456 081207.

The slots will initially be released for the first week (1 to 7 June), and slots for the following days will be released daily seven days in advance.

Having listened to comments from the public, residents who own car-derived vans will also now be able to visit a recycling centre, as well as cars and pick-ups.

There will be no access for trailers or vans, however these will hopefully be accommodated in the second phase.

In this initial phase, only bagged general waste, garden waste and electrical items will be accepted.

General waste – i.e. waste that would normally go in your black bin – will only be accepted if it is bagged, with no loose items being accepted.

All garden waste must arrive bagged or in a suitable container before these are emptied in the appropriate skip. Again no loose items are being accepted.

No other materials – i.e. cardboard, glass, wood, metals, textiles, rubble and bulky items – will be accepted at this stage.

There will be clearly-marked areas to deposit white goods and electrical items.

Only one adult should unload a vehicle – unless two adults are needed for heavy items – and staff will be unable to assist with any unloading.

There will be no pedestrian access and no children will be permitted outside vehicles.

The decision to re-open some of the facilities has been taken in accordance with government guidelines and is based on measures being put in place to protect both visitors and staff and the agreement of traffic management plans.

The recycling centres opening from Monday are at Macduff, Fraserburgh, Ellon, Inverurie, Huntly, Turriff, Westhill, Banchory, Laurencekirk, Portlethen and Stonehaven.

Peterhead will reopen on 8 June following the completion of essential repairs.

These facilities will operate seven days a week as usual and have extended opening hours from 9am to 6.30pm.

Portlethen will retain its usual five-day operation (with the same extended hours as elsewhere), i.e open on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

They will have clearly-defined unloading bays to ensure strict physical distancing is maintained.

Aberdeenshire Council Waste Services manager Ros Baxter said: “The reason for introducing this system is to control the number of visitors to a manageable number each day to ensure social distancing on the sites is observed and the volume of traffic off-site does not cause traffic problems on the local access roads.

“It is important to stress that this is about a phased return to full services, with this initial phase focusing on allowing as many people as possible to get rid of their excess waste under a managed approach.

“All of our current restrictions will be kept under constant daily review and consideration will be given as to how quickly we can move to phase 2 and lift some of the conditions.”