Fire at waste site puts bins collections on hold

Some kerbside recycling collections have been put on hold following a fire at a recycling centre.

Six crews from Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire have been tackling the blaze at the single-storey recycling unit in Newton-Leys, Bletchley, since the early hours of the morning.

Central Bedfordshire Council said residents' dry-mixed recycling was normally taken to the site, and so it was working with its contractor to put alternative arrangements in place.

Independent councillor Tracey Wye, executive member for sustainability and climate resilience at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: "We know residents will be concerned by this disruption and we are sorry for the inconvenience it will cause."

The council said general waste, food waste and garden waste collections were continuing as normal and residents could continue to use bottle banks for glass recycling.

People have been asked to store bulky waste items at home rather than take them to household waste recycling centres while this disruption continues.

Group commander Matthew Burn said crews were expected to be at the scene for the "rest of today and maybe tomorrow".

Burn advised people living nearby to keep their windows and doors closed.

He added that local roads had not been affected by the blaze, but the service was "monitoring the situation".

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