Recycling areas at two Towcester supermarkets to be binned off after fly-tipping concerns

South Northamptonshire Council had a number of ‘Bring’ recycling sites in the area, but numbers have significantly reduced since the blue bin recycling service was introduced in 2013.

Now the authority wants to close two of the remaining three sites. The council’s cabinet this week endorsed the closure of the ‘Bring’ sites at Waitrose and Tesco, meaning the sole site left will be at Farthinghoe Reuse and Recycling Centre. The decision comes a year after the council closed a similar site at Tesco in Brackley.

The sites offer bins for paper, card and plastics and domes for glass bottles and jars to be disposed of. SNC empties the bins but the glass domes are emptied by Cherwell District Council, which costs SNC £4,600 per year.

Outlining the decision at the virtual cabinet meeting last night (June 8), the portfolio holder for environmental services, Councillor Demot Bambridge, said: “The Tesco Brackley site closed because it was becoming a mess and being abused and we feared that might cause a bit of angst but it hasn’t really caused any problems at all.

“The two sites in Towcester that we are proposing we should close down are the ones at Tesco, which is tucked away behind where the car wash is, and it’s used very little. The other is at Waitrose which is quite overused, and one of the reasons for that is that it’s being abused by businesses who should be paying to have their waste collected and use our services.”

A report seen by members of the cabinet states that the ‘Bring’ site at Waitrose was becoming a regular spot for fly-tippers, which was making the area untidy, leading to complaints and costing the authority in additional clean-ups. It estimated the council was having to attend the Waitrose site three times a week to clear up the rubbish.

Councillor Bambridge told residents they can place their extra recycling next to their blue bin or they can use the recycling facilities at Towcester Household Waste Centre on Old Greens Norton Road, which is run five days a week by Northamptonshire County Council.

No date has yet been set for the closure of the two ‘Bring’ sites, but it is expected to publicise the date when agreed. The council is also expected to install signs at both supermarket sites to tell people of the alternatives and remind them that they should not dump rubbish or fly-tip there.