From Sunday 1 October, all 10 of Buckinghamshire’s Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) will switch over to the usual winter opening hours of 9am to 4pm.

The days each centre is open will remain unchanged but the change in hours reflects the fact that as it gets closer to the clocks going back at the end of October and over the winter months, the number of visitors to the sites decreases rapidly once it starts to get darker earlier.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment explained: “This is something that we do every year at this time, but we want to make sure that everyone is aware of this important change to winter closing times of 4pm from 1 October, so please take note.”

To find out which days your local HRC is open and also further details of what can and cannot be taken to a centre, visit: buckinghamshire.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/

Did you know you can also view live webcam footage via the council website, to check if the site is busy and avoid having to wait in a queue? If you are unsure about the best time to visit, take a look at the cameras and plan your trip accordingly.

Don’t forget, any items such as furniture, garden equipment, bicycles and household equipment in good condition that you are looking to get rid of, can be taken to any HRC where they are collected for reuse. Items donated are sold on by the South Bucks Hospice which runs the reuse shops in High Wycombe and Aston Clinton HRCs. Items for resale can be taken to any of the 10 sites and will be transported to the reuse shops.

Gareth continued: “We would encourage anyone who wants to get rid of good quality household and garden items to donate them to the hospice reuse shops. You can combine your donations with a regular trip to the tip so it couldn’t be easier. The items you no longer want will be snapped up by someone else who needs them and by donating in this way you are helping raise much needed funds for a local charity, so everyone is a winner.”