The proposed closure of the three sites will be considered by Flintshire county council’s Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee tomorrow (11 May).
If approved, the proposals will mean that the HWRC sites at Buckley, Connah’s Quay and Flint will close from 1 November 2016, leaving just three sites at Greenfield, Sandycroft and Nercwys near Mold.
According to a report into the HWRC service, the sites chosen to remain offered the best ‘configuration’ when considering factors such as the percentage of residents within a 20 minute drive of the sites and the potential for site development.
The review also found that the number of HWRCs run by the council was “greater than necessary”. Therefore, it was recommended that Flintshire, due to its size and demographics, should only offer three HWRC sites instead of its existing six.
Recommendations
Flintshire county council’s cabinet member for public protection and waste, councillor Kevin Jones, said: “The report recommended that the HWRC facilities at Greenfield, Sandycroft and Nercwys would provide the best configuration, accessibility and coverage for residents in the future.
“In this current climate of austerity and falling waste prices, we have to take note of this report and consider its recommendations seriously.”
Approximately 30% of Flintshire’s total domestic waste is deposited at the six HWRC sites, which record an average recycling rate of around 70%.
However, according to the Welsh Government the recycling performance should be closer to 90%, reflecting recycling figures at high performing HWRC sites elsewhere in the country.
Councillor Jones added: “We’ve recently carried out our own survey of HWRC site users which shows that most people prefer to visit high quality sites, without the need to use steps to gain access to the skips and where delays and regular closures to allow the skips to be emptied safely are not required. The majority of users also said that they considered a 10-20 minute journey acceptable.”
Additionally, the report suggested that investment at the Nercwys site would be needed in order to improve the quality of facilities on offer. This would be funded through capital grant payments which could be made available to Flintshire county council.
Bulky Collections
Alongside the closure of the recycling facilities, councillors will also consider a proposed new arrangement for kerbside collections of bulky waste.
Under a proposed one-year pilot scheme, the council will look to collect a wider range of bulky waste items such as furniture, alongside collections of large household electrical items which already take place.
The scheme will run in partnership with Flintshire Refurbs, a social enterprise and a review is due to be conducted following the trial.
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