Two petitions launched in opposition to Nottinghamshire County Council’s proposed new ‘supersite’ recycling centres

More than 2,800 signatures have been collected on two petitions set up in opposition to potential tip closures.

The two petitions have been created in response to Nottinghamshire County Council plans for the potential creation of new household recycling centre “supersites”, which it says could improve traffic flow and the range of materials which can be accepted for recycling but could see smaller sites axed.

A petition set up to fight the move by the county’s Independent Alliance has attracted 1,125 signatures, while another by Mickey Jay has 1,707 supporters.

A report presented to the Place Select Committee on March 27, which was supported, recommended further investigation into a reorganisation of the network of tips — as it found the county’s 12 current household recycling centres are cramped and caused traffic issues on nearby roads.

It also aimed to make them more able to deal with changing guidance on recycling and to allow disposal containers to be serviced without sites needing to be closed.

No firm locations have been considered for the proposed new sites, but there are a range of possible sites— either owned by the council or which are designated as industrial/waste sites in district and borough councils’ Local Plans — where the “supersites” could be located.

It was also recommended that if a site was to be closed it would be considered to be repurposed to become a dedicated trade waste disposal site.

The current tip locations are Beeston, Bilsthorpe, Calverton, Giltbrook, Hucknall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Mansfield, Newark, Retford, Warsop, West Bridgford and Worksop.

The Independent Alliance’s petition — named ‘Say NO to the Closure of Local Recycling Centres in Nottinghamshire’ states: “This plan threatens to close smaller, local recycling centres… the council denies that this move is to save money but we know better.

“Closing these popular recycling centres will lead to a rise in fly-tipping which is not environmentally friendly. It will increase journey times for residents who need to dispose of their waste responsibly and sustainably. This means more carbon emissions as people are forced to travel further distances.”

Speaking about the petition, Independent councillor Francis Purdue-Horan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service something needs to change with the centres, but “supersites” might not be the right approach.

“My preference would be to see more sites. We have a growing population and there is growing demand,” he said.

“Since the centre at Langar closed years ago, the whole of Rushcliffe has had to use the West Bridgford one, which isn’t a large site.

“It leads to crazy situations with queues of traffic at Bank Holidays. It can’t cope.

“We want to make it easier for people to recycle and keep centres local.

“The county council seems to be set on a strategy of reducing current recycling sites with ‘supercentres’. This could mean people have to make significant journeys in their cars.”

The petition will be presented to a Nottinghamshire County Council full council meeting next month.

Mickey Jay’s petition, which focuses on Bilsthorpe Recycling Centre, states: “My community and I deeply value the Bilsthorpe recycling centre… this facility is invaluable to us as it allows us to manage our waste effectively and maintain a clean environment.

“With refuse collections already cut back, losing access to this recycling centre could result in an increase in unmanaged waste within our community.

“Furthermore, recycling centres like ours play a crucial role in promoting environmental sustainability by reducing landfill usage and conserving natural resources.”

It called for the council to “reconsider any plans for closure and keep the Bilsthorpe Recycling Centre” and consider the impact it would have on the village.

Comments lodged by supporters state: “This refuse centre is well used and would be missed by the community. It is very well run and if it closed fly tipping would definitely increase as it’s quite some distance to the next centre”

Another said: “I use the facility a lot and will use more fuel going elsewhere which is not environmental,” while another comment explained: “We have already lost our Fiskerton tip and this proposal would cause communities to travel a significantly higher annual mileage to reach Newark or Calverton = larger carbon footprint and even more wear & tear on local roads leading to even more potholes.”

The report also recommended further investigation into the potential benefits of using ANPR cameras and that small-scale changes which do not address the range of issues facing the centres should not be carried out. It said any changes to the network should be supported with large scale engagement and communication with the district and borough councils and with residents.

A saving of up to £1.7m per year with the plan is also predicted.

Councillors who spoke at the March 27 meeting detailed issues with queuing traffic and wait times at the existing tips — but also raised points about accessibility and the need for residents to use the centres easily.

“We want very much for people to use these facilities, but we also want them to safely access these facilities,” said Sybil Fielding, after describing the traffic queues which form outside Worksop’s tip.

Richard Butler added: “I think everyone, whether we’re councillors or members of the public, we do take recycling very seriously.

“Personally where I am in Rushcliffe my logical recycling centre is West Bridgford — but because of the limitations there which people who use West Bridgford, rather like the other small centres, find that once you get in there you can spend a huge amount of time trapped and not able to get out again because you’re waiting for other people to exit.

“It was a good, worthwhile project — but its not the sort of thing you can solve overnight.

“Lets not get too hung up on political boundaries as to where these recycling centres are, because although I live in Rushcliffe… it is as quick, in fact its quicker, for me to go 17 miles up the road to Newark to a larger, purpose designed, easily accessible, usable by vehicles site.

“The sheer inconvenience and hassle [at West Bridgford] shows you’ve got to move with the times and have facilities that are functional and realistic. If its not on your doorstep, ok thats regretable, but at the end of the day we need a service, the public needs a service, we have recycling targets to meet. If the better way to do that is to have better designed recyling centres that may not be as near as the previous recycling centres surely that is a better way to do things.”

Penny Gowland added that it was important that the new facilities would still be accessible by people who don’t drive — and admitted that she too doesn’t use her closest tip at West Bridgford.

Independent councillor Steve Carr and Ashfield Independent Tom Hollis both spoke about concerns relating to the potential for closure of tips.

Mr Carr said: “I for one cannot support any reduction in locations for recycling — we should be encouraging recycling and any reduction quite frankly could increase fly-tipping.

“This is all about saving money of course, nothing to do with service.”

Mr Hollis added: “This looks to me like cuts to service which will include a number of recycling centre closures.”

He also suggested the council shouldn’t be encouraging people to drive further away to reach a tip, from an environmental standpoint.

Jonathan Wheeler clarified that the recommendation was only to investigate the idea further — and the council didn’t yet have information about what sites would be opened or closed.

Nigel Moxon, who led the review, also denied that it revolved around cost-saving, claiming the “supersites” may even incur costs to begin with to construct them.

He said: “It’s all very well being 10 minutes away from the site if you’re then there for half an hour queuing up.”

In a statement released following the meeting, Mark Walker, interim service director for place and communities, said: “The county council’s Place Select Committee, made up of representatives from all political groups on the council, recently undertook a scrutiny review of Nottinghamshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centre network to make recommendations on how to make the service more efficient, effective and sustainable for the future.

“A number of recommendations were made by the Committee’s Task and Finish Group that undertook the review. These recommendations were all approved by the Place Select Committee. These recommendations will now be considered by the council’s cabinet member for transport and environment, and cabinet.

“It is very early days with regards to any future design of the Household Waste Recycling Centre network and no decisions have been made by the council regarding it. Should the council wish to follow the recommendations of Place Select Committee, much more detailed work would need to be undertaken before any network changes could be considered.”