It will be situated next to the new South Hams district council transfer station in Torr Quarry, replacing the existing smaller centre at the entrance to the quarry.
WEB Construction, the contractor, is due to start work on April14 2003 and the site is expected to open in July 2003. Under a five-year contract, the new centre will be operated by Devon Waste Management, the Local Authority Waste Disposal Company currently up for sale (see letsrecycle.com story). A spokesperson told letsrecycle.com that the council is currently negotiating with a preferred bidder for Devon Waste Management.
Overall, Devon is investing 3.1 million into its civic amenity sites and recycling centres of which 2.6 million will be invested into existing and new recycling centres.
The recycling centres at Tiverton and Totnes were reopened at the beginning of April 2003 after undergoing improvements. Further refurbishments are planned for the centres in Newton Abbot and Barnstaple. Other new recycling centres are also planned for the county, with work due to start at Okehampton later this year and proposed sites for the Ivybridge, Cullompton and Bideford areas in the pipeline.
The council hopes to increase the proportion of waste recycled from its recycling centres from around 45% to 60%.
Devon’s current recycling rate of 21% puts it in the top five counties in England, but it has targets to reach 33% for 2003-04 and 36% for 2005-06 (see letsrecycle.com story). The modifications of existing recycling centres and the construction of new ones are expected to help the county reach its targets.
Councillor David Morrish, environment portfolio holder on the executive committee at Devon county council, said: “Kingsbridge residents already do their bit and this new site will make it even easier for people to recycle their bulky household waste and help Devon achieve its overall target whilst helping improve their local environment.”
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