COUNCILLORS have approved funding for a new recycling depot to be built in Torfaen as part of plans to improve services.
A £1 million contribution from Torfaen County Borough Council’s budget has been allocated towards the £7.2 million facility for recycling materials collected at the kerbside.
Currently, food and cardboard are taken to the New Inn transfer station for bulking and processing, while other recycling such as such as glass and plastic are taken to a leased unit at Ty Coch industrial estate.
But all recyclable materials will be able to be processed at the single new facility. The new facility is being built as the local authority also purchases new recycling vehicles which can collect all kerbside recycling.
Two separate vehicles are currently used to collect recycling from households – one collecting paper, plastic, cans, glass and textiles, and another collecting cardboard and food waste.
The new recycling vehicles will also allow small electrical items to be added to the kerbside collection, such as kettles, hairdryers and toasters.
At a full council meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Mandy Owen, executive member for environment, said the changes would bring improvements for residents.
“We need to modernise our service desperately now,” she said.
“Vehicles are over ten years old, they are breaking down, lots of members are having queries all the time. t’s a good opportunity to review our collection service. It’s going to be more efficient, more economical and it’s going to be more beneficial for residents as well.”
Cllr Robert Kemp asked if there would be any redundancies as a result of the changes.
Rachel Jowitt, the council’s chief officer neighbourhoods, planning and public protection, said it is expected that the authority will not need as many staff, but that there will not be any redundancies.
The changes will also result in a saving of £150,000 per year on operating costs, as running two facilities is more expensive.
A Welsh Government grant of £3.6 million has been awarded to the council to develop the facility, estimated to cost £7.24 million in total.
The location of the new facility is not currently being revealed as it is “commercially confidential” due to ongoing negotiations.
Photo credit
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash