Extended opening hours trial for civic amenity sites

Civic amenity sites in Kirkwall and Stromness will have extended opening hours on a Wednesday night for a 12-week trial period from this week. 

The sites – at Hatson and Garson – will remain open until 18:45 on a Wednesday night up until Wednesday 26 August.

It is hoped that the additional hours will alleviate some pressure and is in response to community feedback, with many service users reporting they wished to see some additional flexibility in opening hours across the week.

During the trial period usage levels will be monitored and recorded in order to assess demand and inform any future decisions on the service. 

The opening hours of the sites will now be as follows:

Monday: closed

Tuesday: 0800 – 1545

Wednesday: 0800 – 1845

Thursday: 0800 – 1545

Friday: 0800 – 1545

Saturday: 0830 – 1545

Sunday: 0830 – 1545

Lorna Richardson is the Council’s Director for Infrastructure and Organisational Development.  She said: “Our civic amenity sites at Hatston and Garson are well-used and very much valued by our community.  As folk try to fit ‘going to the dump’ into their busy lives, we’ve found that there are occasions where we’re reaching capacity at the sites over the weekend, leading to closures.  That inevitably leads to frustration from householders.  We’ve taken that feedback, listened, and made this change for a trial period so that we can assess the true demand.’

More information on civic amenity sites is available here on the OIC website - Household Waste Recycling Centre