Machynlleth recycling centre closure plan 'disastrous'

Plans to shut a town recycling centre in Powys have been branded "disastrous".

Powys council has launched a review and is looking at closing sites serving areas with lower populations, such as Machynlleth.

The authority said the site in the town was under threat but it would consult the community before making a decision.

But the plans have been criticised by the area's local regeneration organisation Ecodyfi.

Ecodyfil manager Andy Rowland said closing the recycling centre in Machynlleth would be a "backwards step" and the site was the only one of its type for "miles around".

Asked what sort of impact the centre's closure would have on Machynlleth, he said: "I think it will be disastrous.

"It serves the Powys part of the Dyfi Valley and the section in Gwynedd. It's really well-used and appreciated and the only one for miles around."

Powys council has six centres around the county but it said the review was due to the "ever increasing financial pressures facing the council".

The nearest of the five other centres is in Newtown 29 miles away, while the next nearest is in Welshpool, 37 miles from Machynlleth.

The council's deputy leader Rosemarie Harris said the cost of providing the service continued to rise due to changes in waste legislation, increasing landfill costs including landfill tax, increasing processing costs for recycling as well as the operational cost of providing it.

She added: "This is not something that has been taken lightly by the cabinet but we are facing tough financial pressures and we are unable to continue with our existing arrangements."

The council said there were a number of alternatives in place to fill the gap if the recycling centre shut, including a new kerbside recycling scheme.