A NEW waste recycling super site is set to open in Bolton next week — bringing about the closure of the Blackrod waste recycling facility.
The new centre will be in Salford Road, Over Hulton, and will open for the first time at 8am on Monday, October 7.
The Blackrod Household Waste Recycling Centre in Blackhorse Street will close on October 6.
It opened in a different location in the 1970s and was originally a single skip, before it became the large centre it is today.
One of the people who set up the original facility, Blackrod town councillor Graham Farrington, described the closure of the centre as “disastrous” for the local area.
He said: “It is a very well used facility and I think closing it will lead to a lot of dumping.
“I don’t think everyone will be prepared to travel to the new super site.”
“In the old days, before we set up the centre, we had to pay binmen overtime to collect stuff that had been dumped — and I think that’s what we could end up with again.” But ward councillor Anne Cunliffe said that Blackrod residents are split “50-50” on the issue.
She said: “Many residents don’t want the site here because of issues with traffic and they feel Blackrod is just a disposal site — but then many others are worried about the consequences of it closing such as possible fly-tipping and having to do a 15-mile round trip to the new super site in Salford Road.” The decision to close the Blackrod centre, along with six others across Greater Manchester, was taken by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) in June, 2011.
The decision was made as part of an “efficiency strategy” to ensure all sites were “fit for purpose”.
GMWDA leaders say that the new site will include a modern, convenient layout, a comprehensive service accepting up to 23 types of materials, and better traffic management.
Neil Swannick, chairman of the GMWDA, said: “We have to ensure that all sites are fit for purpose and unfortunately it was not possible to improve the Blackrod site in the same way as the other recycling centres.
“The new super site that has been built in Bolton will allow residents to recycle more waste in the easiest possible way.”
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