Users wait for impact of recycling centre closure
USERS of Macclesfield Recycling Centre must now wait and see if predicted problems materialise following the closure of the site in neighbouring Congleton.
Congleton Household Waste Recycling Centre, on Off Barn Road, shut on Sunday, despite a hard-fought campaign lobbying Cheshire East Council to keep it open. An online petition against the closure attracted more than 3,500 signatures and while residents of our neighbouring town led the battle there was also plenty of concerns in Macclesfield.
These included an increase in use of an already busy site at Macclesfield, the extra crowds encouraging fly-tipping and more traffic on the A536 Congleton Road approach.
Among those to sign the petition was David Reading, who said: “There is a massive development of housing in the Congleton area which if the tip is to be closed will put a over whelming demand on Macclesfield tip as it will be used by the majority of the residents. If it was a private business they would adapt and find new premises.”
Steven Rushton said: “I feel that closing this site will have a detrimental effect on the local area and cause a large increase in fly-tipping and random waste being left in the area.
“This is very short -sighted and will in the long term cause the council to spend money clearing up roadsides, laybys, farmers fields and other ‘convenient’ dumping sites.”
Sue Taylor said: “The Macclesfield facility is already experiencing queues. Apply some common sense please.”
Councillors from both towns – including Sally Holland from Congleton and
Lesley Smetham from Gawsworth – also gave their views.
Coun Smetham said litter picks around the roads of her ward already see the busy ones full of rubbish 24 hours later. Following Sunday’s closure the site will be cleared before the council’s lease runs out and it is returned to the landowner.
Many campaigners say the ending of the lease was foreseeable and steps should have been taken earlier to find a solution. The current Labour-Independent coalition blames the previous Conservative regime for this although this is disputed by the latter.
As part of the decision to shut the tip, taken earlier this year, a council report stated it would cost in the region of £4million to replace the site.
It also said 96 per cent of Cheshire East households would still be able to reach a site within a 20-minute drive when it closes.
A council spokesman said this week: “The council’s lease of the site has been ended by the landowner. While the procurement process for a new contract for the running of the borough’s household waste recycling centres from 2023 is carried out, the council has decided not to build a replacement facility in Congleton.”