New household waste and recycling centres will be built to replace those in West Bridgford, Mansfield and Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
Nottinghamshire County Council is looking at how to consolidate its tips into a network of larger ‘supersites’ after many were found to be unfit for purpose.
The West Bridgford site – considered one of the worst in the county in terms of space and waiting times – would be closed and replaced with one close to the border with Gamston under current council plans.
Mansfield and Kirkby’s sites would both shut and be replaced with a single bigger site for the area.
There has been fierce debate about the proposal for supersites, with petitions against potential closures gathering thousands of signatures.
Council Leader Ben Bradley (Con) said no firm sites or budgets had been agreed, but he hoped to end speculation over which recycling centres would close.
He referred to the list of 12 current sites at a full council meeting on Thursday (September 26), confirming where there are likely to be changes.
“Kirkby and Mansfield’s sites are two miles apart and neither are brilliant. They don’t have the range of services or accessibility. Our intention is to build a new one in the immediate vicinity,” he said.
“If it’s two minutes further away but saves 15 minutes of queueing, that’s a good thing.
“In West Bridgford, we intend to invest in a new site a couple of miles away, tackling the congestion problem.
“There have been rumours around the Worksop and Retford sites, but there are absolutely no plans to change there.
“The working group recommended we also close Bilsthorpe, but instead we are looking at investing, providing residents with at least the same or better.”
He finished with a plea to councillors: “Please stop saying the centres are shutting when they’re not.”
More detailed proposals will be brought to Cabinet at a later date.
The cross-party review began in 2022 after concerns some of the centres weren’t “fit for purpose”.
It’s claimed that 97 per cent of residents would still be within a 20-minute drive, and the changes could save up to £1.7m per year.
Councillor Jason Zadrozny (Ind) told the meeting: “The council’s lofty ambitions don’t take into account geography”, and said large areas of Ashfield still wouldn’t be properly covered.
Councillor John Wilmott (Ind) warned: “Any reduction in sites would be a serious mistake”, saying consolidating sites would make recycling more difficult for people who rely on public transport.
Newark’s recycling centre is being held up as an example of what other ‘supersites’ could be, with a layout designed to minimise queuing or congestion on the main road.
• New improved Household Recycling Centre announced for West Bridgford
