Half Cumbria HWRCs face threat of closure

Six of the councils 14 HWRCs have been identified for permanent closure, under proposals launchedon Monday(January 9), with a further two – in Workington and Frizington – being replaced by new site in Lillyhall.

The move makes Cumbria the latest council to review its recycling centre provision in the face of sharp budget cuts despite local opposition. Greater Manchester last year closedfour HWRCs (see letsrecycle.com) and Durham county council is planning to close over a third of its HWRCs (see letsrecycle.com story).

Alongside site closures, residents in Cumbria could also see reduced opening hours at the remaining HWRCs as well as charges introduced for non-household waste such as rubble, soil and car tyres.

The consultation document issued by the council states: We think this is the right thing to do, when budgets are being squeezed ever harder we think we should be prioritising the money we spend on people, not rubbish.

The six sites identified by the council for closure are: Ambleside; Brampton; Grange; Kirkby Stephen; Millom; and Wigton. As a way of off-setting the closures the council plans to introduce a mobile service which would set up at the closed sites up to four times a year. It is hoped the closures will save the council up to 2 million.

Review

A recent review by the council found that the six sites identified for permanent closure account for just 15% of waste handled at Cumbrias HWRCs.

The council had previously run a public consultation, between November 22 2010 and January 31 2011, on its priorities and budget allocation which found that there was not a great deal of outright opposition to the proposed closures of HWRCs.

However residents are concerned about a potential increase in fly-tipping and the knock-on effects this could have on costs. Cumbria claimed that evidence from other councils who have made similar changes showed that there had not been an increase in fly-tipping.

But, the Somerset Waste Partnership revealed an increase in fly-tipping following the introduction of charges at its HWRCs last year (see letsrecycle.com story).