Changes to Telford & Wrekin Council’s household recycling centres were introduced today.
The changes see an improved seven day a week service that also delivers a saving of £140,000 year on year.
The revamp sees a brand new recycling centre located at Hortonwood 50 and improvements to the existing site at Halesfield.
The sites are open 9am to 5pm seven days a week, 362 days a year.
The changes will mean that Telford and Wrekin’s household recycling centres are open for 770 hours extra per year and also remove the uncertainty of whether a site is open or not on a given day.
One of the key innovations at the new Hortonwood site is a “queuecam”, which enables residents to look online at how busy the site is before making the trip to the centre.
David Brown of Horton received a prize for being one of the first visitors to the centre. He was there bright and early with some good recycling.
Mr Brown, said, “I’m delighted to have been rewarded for my recycling. I was keen to see the new site, so I sorted my recycling out and brought it down. I used to go to Granville, but I’m pleased with this new recycling centre – it’s easy to use, with clear signs and helpful staff.”
Steve Mitchell, Area Director West Midland, said, “We are very pleased to open the new recycling centre to the public, a lot of work has gone into developing a site that is customer focused and efficient. We look forward to delivering an excellent service – the residents will be able to access to their local recycling centres with both the HRC at Hortonwood 50 and Halesfield 1 being open seven days a week, 9am – 5pm. They will only close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. As part of the improvements to Household Recycling Centres, the public will be able to view queue before setting out.”
Councillor Angela McClements, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Communities, said: “I am delighted that not only will we be delivering an even better service for our residents, we will also be saving a significant amount of money as a result of earlier than planned changes to the centres.
“The fact that the centres are opening seven days a week gives people a certainty that the sites will be open, which is better for everybody. The HRCs are of course still supported by our kerbside recycling service, which is still hugely successful.”