Midhurst recycling centre '˜should be open more to meet targets'

Midhurst's household waste recycling service should be expanded not reduced claim community leaders.

The Bepton Road centre is already closed all day on Sunday and opens only from 8.30am-5pm compared with 7pm in other recycling centres in the county.

Now West Sussex wants to close it for another day every week and cut opening hours by an hour a day. It also wants to restrict the use of trailers.

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Outlining the proposals to members of the Midhurst Town Council’s newly set up planning and infrastructure committee, its chairman Gordon McAra said the moves were part of West Sussex County Council’s bid to save £2m.

“Midhurst is a small depot on the edge of the county and not, comparatively colossally well used although it is vital to the local community.”

He said it did not accept inert waste such as bricks and rubble.

Cllr McAra believed the plans would create a fly tipping nightmare which Chichester District Council (CDC) would have to spend money clearing up.

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He added: “CDC and the county council are getting very close to being penalised for not meeting recycling targets and by reducing opening hours it makes it more difficult for people to use the site and for targets to be met.”

“As there is a greater need to recycle, they should be expanding the site not reducing it,” said Brendan Flynn He added the Sunday closure was already ‘seriously irritating a heck of a lot of working people’ who could no longer use it.

Council chairman Mark Purves pointed out villagers from as far away as Fernhurst and Rogate came to use the Midhurst site and by restricting trailers it would be harder to use: “They are very angry about it.”

Town councillors are calling for the service to be expanded. They want inert waste facilities, trailers given access and Sunday opening so that European recycling targets can be met.

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