Council approves 'transformative' waste changes

A council has voted to make "transformative" changes to its kerbside waste collection policy, while also opting to close two recycling centres and replace them with a new one in future.

Wiltshire Council has approved plans to introduce three-weekly waste collections in the county, increase the amount of recycling collected from homes and close the recycling centres in Purton and Lower Compton.

Councillor Paul Sample said the proposals would "transform the way" waste and recycling is managed in Wiltshire.

The new policies were criticised by the Conservative opposition however, who said the changes would "be hugely detrimental" and would "cost more money."

Sample presented the measures at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday and said he expected the recycling rate in the county would rise from just under 43% to over 60% by 2027.

To achieve this, he announced that from spring 2027, the council will introduce two new services - kerbside collection of flexible plastics and weekly collections of food waste.

Council leader Ian Thorn said that he did not want to close the two privately-run recycling centres at Purton and Lower Compton, but the costs involved in maintaining them were "utterly and totally unsustainable."

He added that the council would use its "best endeavours to ensure we have another site in the north of the county as soon as it is humanly possible."

Councillor Bridget Wayman, Conservative spokesperson for the environment, was highly critical of the plans however.

"The Liberal Democrat administration is pushing ahead with changes to arrangements for waste management which will be hugely detrimental to Wiltshire residents and cost more money," she said.

She added that closing the recycling centres will leave "residents in these areas needing to travel miles to alternative centres."

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