If so, here are a few tips to make your visit run smoothly: 

• Pre-sort your waste beforehand to save time on site. This helps us divert waste from landfill, reducing costs and delays.

• Consider visiting mid-week to avoid the weekend and bank holiday ‘rush’.

• Check what can be accepted at the sites before visiting to avoid disappointment. For example we only accept a limited amount of construction, demolition and excavation waste, such as soil and hardcore. For a full explanation of what is accepted visitwww.wasteaware.org.uk/db/material.cfm?id=35

• There are no restrictions on vehicle type, but please do not bring commercial or business waste as it will not be accepted.

You will be amazed just how much can be recycled from your home, ranging from cooking oil to a fridge/freezer. For a full list of what can be recycled please visitwww.wasteaware.org.uk/hwrc.cfm

Terry Douris, Cabinet Member for Waste, said: “This is a very busy time of year for our centres, so we would ask that you follow these simple guidelines so that everyone can have as quick and easy a visit as possible.”  

The week is backed by the Chief Fire Officers Association working in partnership with road safety professionals, police and other stakeholders, and coincides with the United Nations global road safety week.

HFRS has teamed up with county council colleagues, volunteers and other agencies to deliver powerful messages in the week-long campaign around the theme of “young people”.

The following two messages are at the heart of the campaign:

• let’s look out for each other – young children and pedestrians
• distraction to destruction – young drivers and the impact on pedestrians.

The following facts highlight the need to target safety messages at young people.

Road accidents remain one of the biggest single killers of young people in the UK. In Hertfordshire in 2011, 79 young people aged 17 to 25 were killed or seriously injured in road accidents.  This age group accounted for 30.7 per cent of all car user casualties to be killed or seriously injured in the county.

National statistics also demonstrate the scale of the problem:

• in the UK, one in eight driving licence holders are 25 or under, yet one in three drivers who die on the roads is under 25
• an 18year-old driver is three times more likely to be involved in a crash than a 48 year-old
• one in five new drivers crash within six months of passing their test
• about 1,400 children aged 11 or under are killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads every year.  That’s almost 27 children every week.

As well as “impact days” using a crashed car at colleges and the University of Hertfordshire and a road safety road show at South Mimms Service Station, there will be school visits and public events at shopping centres. Halfords stores will give general accident advice, and operational crews throughout the county will be working with the county council’s safe and sustainable journey’s team to help deliver safety advice to young pedestrians with a special focus on journeys to and from school.

Community safety volunteers working with the county council’s Bikeability programme and Hertfordshire Police will deliver a CycleSafe family day at the Longfield Centre, Stevenage, from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 11 May.

There will also be a promotional trailer to raise safety awareness among motorcyclists using the A507 which has a high casualty rate.  It will be at the Silver Ball Café from 3 May before moving along the A507 as a high profile mobile sign. Sunday 12 May marks the start of monthly A507 awareness days which will run throughout the summer.

Roy Wilsher, Hertfordshire’s Chief Fire Officer and Director of Community Protection, said: “Many more people are killed and injured on our roads than they are in fires. Working with our partners, we will deliver a powerful, focused and sustained message throughout the county to try and make a real impact on reducing the numbers of people killed or seriously injured on our roads each year.”

Jonathan Morrell 

In the video, a young boy explores the burnt-out shell of his former home, examines his old toys, and asks you to make a life-saving promise this Easter – to keep your loved ones safe from fire.

Fifteen children died in accidental fires across the country last year, and in Hertfordshire, a total of 118 injuries and five deaths were caused by dwelling fires.

Mr Wilsher said that the heart-wrenching video reminds everyone exactly what is at stake in a house fire, and asked residents to test their smoke alarms when they change their clocks over Easter weekend.

Mr Wilsher said: “A working smoke alarm is a proven life-saver and is absolutely essential to keep you and your family safe. But only half of all householders who own a smoke alarm say that they test it is working on a regular basis.

“Last year there were 30,709 accidental fires in the home across the country, and 15 children’s lives were lost. Don’t take the chance on your family’s life. Promise to test your alarms this clock change weekend, and let’s make it a household habit.”

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is determined to prevent as many deaths as possible and make sure people test their alarms when the clocks go forward on 31 March.

A working smoke alarm can buy you and your family the valuable time you need to get out, stay out and call 999. But you’re more than four times as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a working alarm.

You might have DIY plans for the long weekend, so it’s the perfect opportunity to add this simple test on to your list.  This is also a family time and a perfect opportunity to test alarms for older relatives who might find it hard to reach their alarms but are at greater risk – over half the people who died in home fires last year were over 65 years old.

To watch the video, follow this link: http://bit.ly/YhP1kl

Follow these simple steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safe in the home:

•    Fit a smoke alarm on every level of your home
•    Test your smoke alarm regularly – it’s just one press of a button
•    Change your battery once a year or invest in a 10-year alarm
•    Vacuum the alarm casing twice a year to ensure dust isn’t blocking the sensor
•    Plan your escape route – two different routes will help everyone at home know the quickest and safest way out

If you do not have a smoke alarm go online to www.hertsdirect.org/firecall or contact Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service on 0300 1234046 to arrange a free Home Fire Safety Check.

Stuart Pile, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We’re expecting freezing temperatures and possible snow in the next week, so please be extra careful if you’re out and about. 

“The gritters will be out to help keep main transport routes moving, covering 2,500km of roads on each gritting run.

“I urge all residents to visit our website - www.hertsdirect.org/salting – for driving tips, advice on snow clearing and details of which roads are salted.”

District, borough and parish councils and various community groups have been provided with salt to help keep key routes, particularly pavements, safer during cold spells. Please remember that salt in salt bins is for use on roads and pavements, not private land like driveways.

General winter advice is available by clicking on the ‘severe weather’ tab on the front page of our website atwww.hertsdirect.org which covers all our services, including information provided by schools on whether they are open and guidance on how to get help if you need assistance in the wintry conditions.

You can find out when gritters are going out by following us on #GritterTwitter. Follow the link to ‘Salting decisions’ on www.hertsdirect.org/salting to sign up or follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/Herts_Highways

Hertfordshire’s winter service is delivered by Ringway working on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.

The Sports Grounds Safety Authority which advises and audits the work of licensing authorities recently endorsed the council’s self-assessment. They confirmed that the team led by Hertfordshire Trading Standards had achieved an impressive score of 48 out of a possible 50 marks for their work.

Under the Safety at Sports Grounds Act, your local county council is responsible for issuing and enforcing safety certificates for sports grounds such as Watford and Stevenage Football Clubs.

As well as chairing and leading Safety Advisory Groups for grounds within the county, officers carry out regular inspections to ensure that the ground management are complying with the terms of the certificate. These are normally multi-agency inspections and include representatives from the Fire Protection team along with Building Control and the Police. The inspections are often carried out on match days to observe and understand the operation of the ground.

The very high score achieved in this year’s audit recognises the close attention which has been paid to the training of staff and the strong multi-agency partnership working.

Richard Thake, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “I congratulate all those involved in helping to achieve such an impressive score. Spectator safety is a primary concern at sporting events and the consequences of getting it wrong could be very serious.

“The eyes of the world were on us in 2012, when the Olympics came to Hertfordshire and I am delighted that the high standards we set ourselves in overseeing the management of safety at the Lee Valley White Water Centre has been recognised and replicated elsewhere in the county.”

Hertfordshire County Council is looking for groups or individuals from schools to make a short film around this year’s theme of “Healthy Travel” in all its aspects – physical, mental, emotional, social and environmental.

This is a fantastic opportunity for schools to showcase the talents of their pupils. All shortlisted entries will be shown on a full-size cinema screen at the Annual School Travel Awards ceremony at Campus West, Welwyn Garden City on Thursday 21 March 2013. The winners will be presented with a mini HD flip video camera. The closing date for entries is 28 February.

For information on how to enter please contact ssj.schools@hertfordshire.gov.uk

There is also still time for nominations for the other categories in the School Travel Awards. The closing date has been extended until 8 February.

Awards will be given in five categories – school travel award (for encouraging safe, active and green travel), road safety award, school crossing patrol of the year, walking bus champion, walking and cycling best practice award and school council innovation award.

Stuart Pile, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “The awards are a great way to encourage schools to promote sustainable transport to their students, as well as share best practice. They allow us to thank local people who have promoted road safety and supported their community.”

Paper forms have been sent out to schools but nominations can also be made online at www.hertsdirect.org/schooltravel

For more information on the awards contact ssj.schools@hertfordshire.gov.uk 

More information on sustainable school travel can be found on www.hertsdirect.org/schooltravel

However, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) are backing Fire Kills’ campaign and urging residents to keep themselves safe while cooking.

Chief Fire Officer and Director of Community Protection, Roy Wilsher, said: “Around half of all accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen so make safety your top priority and take care when cooking, especially with hot oil. Following just few simple tips will help to keep yourself, your friends and loved ones safe.”

Top cooking safety tips include:

• Do not leave a pan unattended when the heat is on – a forgotten pan can lead to disaster.

• Do not leave children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob.
• Take care when cooking with oil as it sets alight easily.
• If the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot.  Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat.
• Don’t overfill a chip pan with oil – it should never be more than one third full.
• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.
• After cooking, make sure that all the appliances are turned off and the cooking area is clear.

If a pan catches fire don’t take any risks:

• Turn the heat off, but only if it is safe to do so

• Never move or throw water on a pan that is on fire
• Don’t tackle the fire yourself – get out, stay out and call 999.

Residents are also being reminded to have a working smoke alarm on every level of their home and a fire escape plan in place so that they know how they will leave the house if a fire does break out.

Roy continued: “Having functional smoke detectors and an escape plan prepared will greatly increase your chances of escaping the house unharmed in the event of a fire. You should check the batteries in your alarms at least once a week and regularly clean them with a vacuum to ensure dust isn’t blocking the sensor. You should also ensure that everybody in your house, including visitors, know what the best escape route is and you should ensure this way out is always kept clear of obstructions.”

Cllr Richard Thake, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “Cooking can be fun and there are lots of chances to put your culinary talents to the test this month. However when distracted by the prospect of a warm pancake or hot chip, fire safety may not be at the forefront of your mind. Just a moment’s distraction could turn your cooking attempts into a tragedy so follow these tips and stop your celebrations ending in disaster.”

For further advice on fire safety, visit www.facebook.com/firekills or contact Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue on 0300 123 4046