Recycling centre to remain open during upgrade

A recycling centre has been set to stay open throughout upgrade works which would bring it up to date with the latest government regulations.

The works on recycling centre in Newton Abbot, Devon, would include new covered storage buildings with fire‑resistant segregation, an improved drainage system to protect local watercourses and enhanced sorting and storage capacity for new recyclable materials such as soft plastics, project bosses said.

Throughout the £3m project, there would be changes to the traffic system to and from the waste transfer station at Brunel Road. they added.

Works have been set to get under way on Monday 13 April, with completion currently due in late summer 2027.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the project would also see the installation of new systems for fire safety and operational cleaning, alongside a solar panel system to generate renewable energy on site.

Access to the recycling centre would remain through the current access road, but later in the scheme cars would be able to temporarily exit the site through Teignbridge Council's car park next door, bosses said.

The council said its project would deliver '"significant infrastructure improvements" to meet new national waste legislation and support the government's recycling reforms, which would allow a wider range of recyclable materials, including flexible plastics and films, to be collected from all households by 2027.

The solar panel system was expected to generate around 19,000 kWh of electricity each year, saving almost four tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, bosses said.

Peter Williams, Liberal Democrat councillor for Teignmouth East and the council's executive member for environmental services, told a meeting last year that the Brunel Road depot handled 16,000 tonnes of waste every year, and the changes were needed in order to qualify for an Environment Agency permit.

He said: "This project is essential to ensure that we can continue to deliver efficient recycling collections to all households in the district.

"The timescales are challenging, and require prompt action."

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