Further options are now being explored as part of the prolonged closure of Cheltenham’s household recycling centre (HRC).
This follows confirmation from Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) that they will increase capacity at their Wingmoor Farm site but will not take on responsibility for running the HRC on Swindon Road.
Cabinet member for waste and recycling, Councillor Izaac Tailford said: “I am grateful for Gloucestershire County Council responding to our leader’s letter from November, and I welcome their decision to increase operating times at nearby Wingmoor Farm to include Wednesdays, as this will help with additional capacity from residents using the site, who are coming from Cheltenham. Wingmoor Farm can take a larger range of items including DIY rubble and plasterboard, so it will work alongside our strong and increasing kerbside collection options and bring bank sites in Cheltenham to provide more ways to recycle.
“However, Cheltenham residents will be disappointed to hear that the county council are not willing to take on the Swindon Road HRC. As the responsible authority for household recycling centres in the county, it would have been good for them to show this commitment to our town and its residents. I hope that the county council will reconsider the option to take on Swindon Road HRC, but for now we will move forward with assessing its future based on their current response.
“Cheltenham’s MP has been very clear that we should work collaboratively with the county council to have them to take on the site, so I will arrange a meeting with him to discuss this new development.
“During this prolonged closure we will be monitoring how our services cope with additional demand, and we will work with the county council to see how their nearby HRCs are coping too. A final decision will be made at a cabinet meeting after the residents’ survey later in the year, but we will continue to keep residents up to date and informed in the meantime.
“As always, thanks goes to our residents for their continued commitment to recycle as much as possible especially as our kerbside offer continues to improve.”
For interviews or enquiries
Contact Cheltenham Borough Council communications, email [email protected] or telephone 01242 264231
Background
Changing legislation and enhanced kerbside collection services prompted a review of Cheltenham’s waste and recycling services. Cabinet members met in November 2024, when they discussed the future of the household recycling centre (HRC), agreeing a prolonged closure to the public whilst a full review of options takes place. Required works at the site are estimated to cost £1million to meet regulations. The prolonged closure began from 10 January 2025.
The site is currently compliant. The regulatory changes required include significant groundworks and the introduction of a new concrete pad. Works to bring the site up to standard are set to cost £1million and without a new permit, the Environment Agency will not allow the site to continue to operate.
The prolonged closure is allowing time for a thorough and considered review about the future of the site in line with new regulations, best value for the tax payer, changing needs of residents and improvements to kerbside recycling.
Residents can now recycle a huge variety of materials at the kerbside, such as paper, tin, glass, cardboard, plastics and in more recent years, batteries, small electricals and textiles, with a trial in some areas of soft plastics. ‘Bring bank’ sites at various locations around the borough also provide a good option, especially for those with limited space at home.
Weekly collections of food waste and an opt-in garden waste collection is also done from the convenience of the kerbside and in 2021, Cheltenham was the first authority to sign up to the kerbside coffee pod collection service.
Bookable slots at Wingmoor Farm, the county council site, provide an even wider range of options for recycling than ever before.
