RESIDENTS and businesses in Malmesbury have been left dismayed at Wiltshire Council’s decision to close the town’s well used mini-recycling site as part of a series of cost-cutting measures.

Last week, the town council was informed by Wiltshire Council’s waste management department of their intention to close the site in Station Yard car park, despite concerns that the containers are regularly overflowing.

The closure will be effective from Thursday, July 13, after which the containers will be removed.

Wiltshire Council has halved the number of mini-recycling sites it operates over the past three years, reducing the total number from 14 sites in 2014 to just seven currently in operation.

Gavin Grant, town councillor and county councillor for Malmesbury, said: “The Station Yard recycling centre is very well used by residents.

“So much so that our town council had been pressing Wiltshire Council for more frequent emptying of the recycling containers as they tended to overflow.

“Instead, Wiltshire Council has responded by withdrawing this service altogether without any consultation either with the town council or local residents.

“I went down to the site today and saw Martin Bridge, secretary of Malmesbury Cricket Club who was doing some recycling. He was absolutely horrified because they are a notfor-profit organisation and if they’ve got to start driving to the recycling centre or paying for commercial collection then that’s going to hit their funds.

“It’s yet another example of Wiltshire Council having the wrong priorities.

“I will be pressing for the decision to close this well used facility to be revisited.

“It will be an uphill battle as Wiltshire Council are cutting everything. The question is, can we get different groups to work together for a common purpose?

“Our town looking good is an important thing, we know recycling is very important and people need to be encouraged to do it. We need more recycling, not less.”

In a letter to Malmesbury Town Council, Vicki Harris, principal waste services officer at the county council, said: “The council needs to continually review its waste and recycling services provided to Wiltshire residents to ensure that they remain efficient and cost effective.

“Due to increased kerbside recycling, we have seen the use of all mini-recycling sites significantly reduce and therefore it is no longer cost effective to continue to provide this service when residents are now able to recycle the same items at the kerbside.”