The second of three new centres planned for the county, the 1.2 million facility at the Waymills Industrial Estate includes a recycling centre and a transfer station. The site has the capacity to recycle 50,000 tonnes of waste each year.
The three new facilities replace existing sites in Shrewsbury and North Shropshire and will underpin a new Private Finance Initiative waste management contract. The contract, for the partnership of Shropshire county council and the county's districts, is currently going through a tender process (see letsrecycle.com story).
Opening the Whitchurch site today, the chairman of the Shropshire Waste Partnership, Cllr Philip Englehart, said: “This new household recycling centre provides people in North Shropshire for the first time with a modern, purpose-built facility. I am confident they will find it convenient and easy to use.
Cllr Englehart, who is also Shropshire county council's cabinet member for environment, added: “Members of the public can recycle a wide range of materials at this new centre, and in doing so will be helping us to improve the way we handle waste in Shropshire still further,” he explained.
Strategic
SITA UK, the waste management company that managed the development of the new facility – and is to operate it until 2007 – said it would be strategically important for the county's waste operations.
Chris Male, SITA UK's area manager, said: “The facility will help the people of Shropshire and the council continue the process of developing sustainable waste management facilities to take them into the future and help achieve government recycling targets. SITA UK will be operating the facility until April 2007.”
The Whitchurch facility was opened a year after a similar site was opened at Craven Arms, South Shropshire. The final new Shropshire waste facility is to be launched in the beginning of 2005 at Battlefield, Shrewsbury, and will have the capacity to recycle 100,000 tonnes of waste each year.
Register for free to comment