New recycling facility proposed for Honiton

Devon could be set to get six new recycling centres to replace ones 'not fit-for-purpose' with ones that are a lot easier, safer and more convenient for the public.

Devon County Council's cabinet on Wednesday morning will be asked to endorse a strategy which sets out a vision for the modernisation of the current household waste and recycling centres to meet the demands of the 21st century.

The proposals, which councillors are recommended to approve, would see six new sites open to replace the current 'not fit for purpose' centre and to ensure that the Household Waste Recycling Centre service is well placed to meet the growing needs placed upon it.

Honiton, Newton Abbot, Barnstaple, Tiverton, Totnes and Kingsbridge, and Tavistock are identified in the report as areas where new centres are needed.

Honiton – provision of new site

The existing facility at Sutton Barton is small, constrained and suffers significant queuing problems albeit off the public highway. There are health and safety concerns with vulnerable people accessing skips via steps, and the site is very remote from the main population centre that it serves.

A new facility in the Honiton area is therefore proposed.

Meg Booth, Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste, in her report to Wednesday's meeting, said: "There are still several older Household Waste Recycling Centre sites across Devon that are no longer fit for purpose and not suited to modern demands, leading to health and safety concerns and increasingly higher levels of customer dissatisfaction.

"The main factors include sites having to temporarily close to allow the accumulated waste to be safely loaded and transported off site, vehicles regularly queuing, particularly in a dangerous manner on the Public Highway, to access sites either during peak times or when a container is being replaced, restricted layouts particularly at some smaller sites, which makes recycling inconvenient and pedestrian conflict with vehicles leading to health and safety concerns.

"If the status quo was maintained, the Household Waste Recycling Centre service would not be improved, and the public would have to keep using several old facilities that are no longer fit for purpose and suffer significant issues including health and safety. This may eventually result in some facilities having to be closed."

Her report says that the costs of such a programme of Household Waste Recycling Centres improvements/replacements are significant, and clearly these schemes could only be delivered over an extended timescale of perhaps up to 10-15 years and only when funding is available including seeking external sources of funding.

The sites at Holsworthy, Bideford, Torrington, Exeter, Ivybridge, Ilfracombe, Exmouth, South Molton, Okehampton, Crediton, and Sidmouth are considered adequate for the next 15 years.

Van Permit Scheme

In addition, the cabinet will also be asked to approve a new Van Permit scheme. Currently, users of vans can access Household Waste Recycling Centres to dispose/recycle their waste, but despite current checks, there is concern that abuse of this system by commercial firms and businesses to dispose of their waste at public expense remains an issue.

The report adds: "As such, it is proposed that a 'Van Permit' system is introduced. Permits will only be issued to vans registered to individual residents and not to vehicles registered to companies/businesses. This will help to ensure that only residents deposit their household waste at the sites."