The new centre, commissioned by Worcestershire Council's waste management contractor Severn Waste Services, will receive paper, plastics, cans, textiles and clothes.
Wyre Forest Council's kerbside collection service was set up in September 2003, but has been expanding throughout 2004 (see letsrecycle.com story).
New special-purpose collection vehicles will discharge their loads into concrete storage bays at Hoobrook in Kidderminster. The new centre will be staffed full time and paper, plastics and cans will be stored under cover to prevent litter problems.
Severn Waste will then arrange for onward shipment to reprocessors in Cheshire, Yorkshire and South Wales for aluminium, glass and steel respectively. Local agents will handle the paper collected.
It replaces the temporary collection point at Wyre Forest's Green Street depot, which has been used since the kerbside scheme was launched. But it was decided a permanent replacement was needed as plans are afoot to roll out the collection to 41,000 households across the district.
Severn Waste operations manager John Lashley said: “We're now handling over 1,300 tonnes of recyclables per month, and the quantities are growing as the public have really taken to the recycling habit.”
The council is aiming to get from its 10% recycling rate to 18% by 2005-06 and 25% by 2007-08.
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