MELKSHAM residents have hit out at Wiltshire Council’s decision to cut recycling centre opening hours, after huge queues formed outside the Bowerhill centre and long waits forced people to turn round and go home.
Melksham News was contacted last week by a number of people outraged at the queues forming at Bowerhill Recycling Centre on Lancaster Road.
As part of the county council’s budgeting plans, the centre is now closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. People visiting last Thursday were shocked by how busy it was.
It took local woman Claire Harrall an hour to visit the centre.
Claire said, “There were cars waiting right back to the second roundabout at Bowerhill, and some people were recycling directly from their cars as all the bays were filled.
“I wonder how safe is it to recycle whilst not in a bay, and how do the local businesses feel about people being unable to access their business because of the road congestion?
“Shorter opening hours can only result in illegal tipping surely? The council has changed the opening times without consultation and now charge for green bins. What next, are they going to charge us to recycle and then pass on the EU fines for not meeting quotas?”
Another angry resident, who did not wish to be named said, “I went down there twice in one morning and there were queues back past Keith Lye’s garage, it’s crazy.
“I turned around both times because it’s ridiculous to have that many people just waiting outside. All I had was a bag of greenery and some rubble. I went back for a third time, but this will surely just be another way of increasing fly-tipping.”
Melksham man David Darby said, “Cars were queuing for a long time and the backing onto the road was causing mayhem. It’s a traffic hazard with the juggernauts.
“This is all because the centre is now closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; it’s false economy by the council again.”
On the day of the complaints Wiltshire Council issued a reminder for people to check the new opening times of Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) before visiting the sites.
Changes to the opening hours for HRCs in Wiltshire came into force earlier this month. The Bowerhill HRC’s opening hours are now 10am to 4pm from Thursday to Monday.
