Residents in Southend-on-Sea are being advised to plan ahead for their trips to local recycling centres this Easter weekend, with officials expecting significant traffic and long queues at both sites. The Southend-on-Sea City Council has confirmed that the household waste recycling centres at Stock Road and Leigh Marshes will remain open as usual from 3 April to 6 April 2026, but warned that busy periods may cause delays.
To help manage the expected influx of visitors, the council is encouraging residents to use the Southend Waste app. This tool allows users to view live footage from cameras at the sites, helping them to decide whether to travel or wait for a quieter time. Officials note that early mornings and late afternoons are generally the best times to visit, while Sundays typically see the heaviest traffic and should be avoided if possible.
There are also changes to regular kerbside bin collections to note for the holiday period. There will be no collections on Good Friday, 3 April. Instead, any collections normally due on that day will be moved to Saturday, 4 April. All other collection days will remain the same throughout the week.
When visiting the recycling centres at Stock Road or Leigh Marshes, residents are reminded that these facilities are for local use only. Visitors must bring proof of residency, such as a driving licence or a recent council tax bill. For safety reasons, entry on foot is not permitted, and children must stay inside vehicles at all times while on site.
These waste services are managed by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, which began its eight-year contract with the council in April 2025. Recent performance reports indicate that recycling rates in the area have seen an improvement under the new contract, reaching approximately 46% compared to 34.4% under the previous provider.
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