Plans published for greener and more modern city tips.
Eighteen months on from introducing the UK’s greenest weekly waste collection service which boosted how much MK recycles by a third, Milton Keynes City Council has announced plans to replace its three aging tips.
It proposes to replace MK’s three current household recycling facilities in Bleak Hall, New Bradwell and Newport Pagnell with larger, greener and more modern Reuse and Recycling Centres in the north and south of the city.
Last year local people dropped off nearly 25,000 tonnes of waste. As the city grows, so will demand – the city council estimates 50% more waste and recycling will come to its tips by 2050.
At full capacity, the current sites can accommodate around 395,000 visits with no room for expansion, so the city council plans to almost double capacity by developing modern new Recycling and Reuse Centres in Wolverton and Snelshall that would accommodate 700,000 visits per year.
Investing in the city’s tips would bring many other benefits to local people:
- Less congestion and less noise for local residents as locations would be chosen that are better suited to host facilities.
- Better and safer access for everyone, including people with mobility issues and those arriving on foot or bike.
- Extended range of items accepted such as carpet for recycling and asbestos for secure disposal and a Reuse and Repair Shop where unwanted household items could be conveniently dropped off for reuse, giving them another useful life instead of being thrown away.
- Greener and more sustainable sites using solar power. At least one site would be fully ‘off grid’ and powered by its own renewable energy provision.
- Greater weatherproofing with canopies and other considerations.
We’re dealing with more waste and expect even more as the city grows, so it’s essential we plan for this. These modern and greener reuse and recycling centres would offer broader facilities in a better location and as such should be more accessible and pleasant for everyone to use.
The city council has also published innovative plans to transform its existing waste recovery facilities in Wolverton into a state-of-the-art Eco Park that will provide more green energy to the city and reduce carbon emissions. One of the proposed new Reuse and Recycling Centres would become part of the Eco Park.
A decision about the future of the MK’s tips will be made on 14 January
