'Inadequate' Mansfield Recycling Centre could be encouraging fly-tipping, say critics

The centre, which is run by Nottinghamshire County Council at the busy Kestral Park, off Hermitage Lane, attracts hundreds of visitors every week, getting rid of household items they no longer want.

But residents say it is too small, in an unsuitable location and needs to be upgraded or replaced.

“It is a nightmare to access and exit, leading to traffic congestion that is horrendous,” said retired businessman Bill Taylor, 74, who is leading the drive for action.

"Queues often snake out on to the nearby main road, creating an accident waiting to happen.

"A visit to the centre now takes so long that it must be linked to the increased amount of fly-tipping in the area.

"If you know it’s going to take anywhere up to an hour for a visit to the recycling centre, then it’s easier to fly-tip.”

The centre was built in the late 1990s when there were only a handful of businesses in the vicinity, including two run by Bill, who spent 50 years in the construction industry.

“But since then, the whole area has been populated by other businesses, while Amazon have built a new depot next door,” he said.

“The recycling site is now inadequate, with just one single access road in and out, and it cannot cope with the volume of customers.

"It is not good enough for a town of Mansfield’s size, and I am trying to raise awareness of this almighty problem.”

In fact, Bill has been complaining for 15 years about the problem, but says he is frustrated at being continually fobbed off.

"I have contacted the county council, who own the land, Veolia, who are the contractors that operate the site, our MP, Ben Bradley, and councillors,” he said.

"Everyone has been quite helpful with polite replies, but nothing ever happens.”

Mick Allen, of the county council, said: “We are aware that Mansfield Recycling Centre suffers from queueing at busy times, which has been exacerbated over the last 12 months by the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to limit the number of vehicles onsite to ensure social distancing.

"The county council continues to investigate long-term solutions to provide additional capacity in Mansfield to address expected housing growth.

"It is also supporting Mansfield District Council to introduce free kerbside glass-recycling, which will commence in the next few weeks, alongside the existing mixed dry-recycling and chargeable waste collections.

"While we appreciate the recycling centre can be busy, residents are reminded that we are currently in a lockdown, and they should only be taking waste there if absolutely necessary and the waste cannot be stored safely at home or disposed of through the regular kerbside services.

"All our recycling centres are currently open from 8 am to 6 pm, which will extend to 8 am to 8 pm from Thursday, April 1 so people will have more time to dispose of their waste at the sites once lockdown eases.”