Closure of Treorchy Recycling Centre
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Streetcare Department has been forced to close its Treorchy Recycling Centre due to lack of adequate space.
The Community Recycling Centre on Cemetery Road has inadequate room and it is not possible to expand the area for the use of members of the public. A decision has been made to close the site on January 4th 2009.
With a significant lack of room it is becoming increasingly impossible to recycle goods in a similar manner to the new or upgraded sites throughout the county borough.
Recycling is a major priority for the local authority and the expansion of Community Recycling Centres in neighbouring Ferndale and Dinas is testament to this pledge.
Earlier this year the first Community Recycling Centre was opened in the Taff Ely area with the launch of a specially designed site at Treforest Industrial Estate.
Recycling has more than trebled in the last four years, with a massive investment in a new plant, community recycling points, new refuse collections vehicles and innovative ways to promote recycling, including the roll out of kerbside and food waste recycling.
The Community Recycling Centres are an integral part of the ongoing success story as they offer residents the opportunity to recycle a massive variety of items, some of which cannot be collected as part of the kerbside recycling service.
But due to this growing success it means that centres must also be able to cope with the quantity and range of items recycled, which Treorchy is unable to achieve.
Between April 1st 2006 and March 31st 2007 the Council recycled 33,238 tonnes of material compared to just 4,200 tonnes in 1999/2000. This year alone this figure has risen to 30%. We now recycle almost eight times the amount of waste we recycled seven years ago.
Every week 55% of residents take part in the kerbside recycling initiative and many more use the scheme at least once every month. Countless others use the recycling banks – or SORT centres - that are distributed throughout the county borough.
The Council’s Service Director for Streetcare Nigel Wheeler explained: “I can assure residents that the decision to close the Community Recycling Centre in Treorchy was not taken lightly.
“Unfortunately the site in Treorchy is now deemed inadequate to the growing demands of the public to recycle more household waste and reduce the quantity of materials sent to landfill. The success story of recycling in the county borough has meant that we have expanded and improved many of our Community Recycling Centres.
“It has also resulted in the opening of a new facility at Treforest. Unfortunately, Treorchy is unable to expand and develop due to the confined space and regrettably we can no longer provide a first-class service from this site.”
Everyone in Rhondda Cynon Taf can recycle from home through the kerbside recycling scheme. Recycling bags can be obtained free from your collection crew or by calling 01443 494700. Or pick them up from libraries, Communities First offices or the council’s One4All centres. You can also leave a sticker/note on your bags requesting more before you run out.
