Witney News - Councillors object to household waste recycling centres closure proposal

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Councillors object to household waste recycling centres closure proposal

West Oxfordshire District Council is strongly opposing the proposed closure of some of Oxfordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres.

The District Council is responding to Oxfordshire County Council’s consultation which proposes reducing the number of Household Waste Recycling Centres from seven to three. This includes the closure of Dix Pit, Stanton Harcourt, the only remaining site in West Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council has said it may be able to offer a fourth Household Waste Recycling Centre if the opening hours are reduced across all the sites. The move would be done in order to save £350,000 from the County’s budget by 2017/18.

Councillor David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Environment at West Oxfordshire District Council described the County’s proposals as ‘harmful’ and ‘a retrograde step’. He said: “It would mean a round trip of over 40 miles for many West Oxfordshire residents wanting to dispose of, for example, a few bags of garden waste or a no longer needed appliance; we believe this is unacceptable and a retrograde step that will lead to on-going problems such as increased fly-tipping. As well as being unsightly, the District Council will be left bearing hefty clear-up costs and so there is no saving to the public purse.

“The closure of Dix Pit in Stanton Harcourt and other centres across Oxfordshire would inconvenience many people, be environmentally harmful and only bring a short-term cost gain to the County which is why we are strongly urging them to re-consider their plans.”

West Oxfordshire District Council has supported the reduction in opening hours as they considered that if this allowed the provision of a greater number of sites, it would be the best option for the public.

The three areas identified by the County Council to have a Household Waste and Recycling Centre are:
- Central North Oxfordshire - this will mean closing Ardley and Alkerton and replacing with a new site
- Central Oxfordshire - this would mean expanding or replacing Redbridge
- Central South Oxfordshire - this would mean expanding or replacing Drayton.

Posted : 15/10/2015 12:24:39

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