Recycling centres across County Durham are now open for longer as part of a move to summer opening hours.
Durham County Council-run household waste recycling centres will be open from 9am to 6pm, although times at some sites may vary.
The council has created a new online interactive map which members of the public can use to get an indication of whether or not their local site is busy. A green light indicates there is no queue at a particular centre, whereas a red one means visitors are more likely to face a queue.
The map is updated once every hour at durham.gov.uk/hwrc.
As the country eases out of the Government’s lockdown restrictions, members of the public are advised to only visit the recycling centres if necessary and that some sites may be busy.
Residents are also being reminded that they can book a bulky waste collection for larger items if they need to by going to durham.gov.uk/bulkywaste.
Oliver Sherratt, Durham County Council’s head of environment, said: “Our household waste recycling centres being open for a longer period each day will give people across the county more opportunities to dispose of unwanted waste safely and securely.
“We’d advise anyone planning a trip to a recycling centre to check the interactive map on our website before setting off and as far as possible avoid visiting at a time when queues are likely.
“Current coronavirus social distancing measures remain in place at all of our sites in line with Government guidance.”
For full details on recycling centres in County Durham go to durham.gov.uk/hwrc.