Gwynedd Council is to re-open another two of its recycling centres.

Last month the authority unveiled plans to open five of the county’s eight centres for pre-bookings.

But with the facilities at Bangor, Caernarfon, Dolgellau, Ffridd Rasus in Harlech and Pwllheli having been open for several weeks, the council has announced that both y Bala and Blaenau Ffestiniog will now also re-open from Friday,  June 12.

Gwynedd residents will be able to make an appointment for both centres from 8.30am on Wednesday, June 10, with the facilities at Bala and Blaenau Ffestiniog centres open from 9am to 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays only in the first instance.

This means that Rhwngddwyryd in Garndolbenmaen is the only centre to remain closed, with plans in place to open it up in the near future.

Cllr Catrin Wager, Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal, said: “We are pleased to be able to extend the time slot booking system so that the Bala and Blaenau Ffestiniog recycling centres can be re-opened safely.

“This system has been in place at five of the council’s other recycling centres for over a fortnight, and the system has worked successfully with around 6,000 appointments made so far.

“I’d like to thank residents for continuing to follow the social distancing guidance at the sites and to our dedicated staff at the centres for their work during this challenging time.”

She added: “It is very important that residents understand that there is currently a limited service and that all visits must be booked in advance.

“We are also asking the people of Gwynedd to help ensure that the new arrangements work as smoothly as possible by sorting as much of their items as they can before visiting the centre, and ensuring that the social distancing rules are follows in order to protect their own health and that of our staff.

“For those residents who need to dispose of large items, we are pleased to confirm that our bulky waste collection service has now re-started.

“Arrangements can be made to pay for a bulky collection on the Council’s website at www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/bulkywaste or calling Galw Gwynedd, with collections resuming from Monday, 15 June.”

To use the service, residents need to book a slot in advance online by visiting www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/recyclingcentres using the Council’s website or ‘ApGwynedd’ app.

Residents unable to go online are able to book by phoning the Council’s contact centre on 01766 771000.

The service at the recycling centres is limited to cars only at present. Due to the social distancing rules, a limited number of time-slots are available to ensure the safety of residents and Council staff and those without an appointment will not be able to visit the centres.

Meanwhile, those displaying COVID-19 symptoms, those living in a household with someone displaying symptoms of the virus or who are shielding should not visit the recycling centres.