But, much to the relief of workers in our area, Highbridge’s recycling centre is not on the initial closure list – however the council says it is still considering reducing its opening hours and introducing charges for depositing certain types of waste, such as soil, rubble and tyres.
It has been estimated that closing the initial four centres could save almost £314,000 a year.
Somerset Waste Partnership manages the contract for 18 recycling centres on behalf of the County Council. Its managing director Steve Read said in a statement: “We regret being asked to consider closing recycling centres as this would be in conflict with our aim of reducing waste going to landfill and raising recycling rates, but we are all aware of the financial situation.”
“If any closure is agreed, the impact would be partly mitigated by improvements in kerbside recycling across the county through the Sort It Plus service but we do fully appreciate that it would have an impact on users of the closed sites, other sites and potentially the surrounding area.”
Highbridge Recycling Centre is currently open from 9am to 5pm in the winter (October to April inclusive) and 9am to 7pm over the summer. The times have recently changed since our photo of the above sign was taken.
