PLANS to close a recycling centre in Caerphilly County Borough in the next financial year could save the council £15,000.

Caerphilly County Borough Council's draft budget for 2020-2021 includes cuts totalling more than £8 million - including proposals to close the Trehir Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) in Llanbradach.

A council report says closing the centre would save the council £30,000 on running costs, including maintenance - but that would not close until another HWRC in Penallta is expanded, meaning this figure would be cut to £15,000.

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The report says an increase in capacity at the Penallta site would be necessary to make sure that there is no decrease in space for the disposal of waste and recycling.

Trehir HWRC currently accounts for around 22 per cent of the tonnage of waste received by all six HWRCs in the county borough, making an expansion to an alternative site necessary.

Early indications say that an expansion to the Penallta site could cost the council £600,000.

Caerphilly currently has six recycling centres, more than six of its seven neighbouring authorities. Only Rhondda Cynon Taff has more.

The WRAP guidelines say that there must be a maximum of 120,000 people per HWRC. In Caerphilly there is currently one for every 30,333 people - and closing the Trehir site would only increase this by 6,000.

The savings proposal report says: “It is important to note that whilst the proposal reduces the number of sites, the storage and disposal capacities for the public will be retained.

“The redeployment of staff from Trehir to our retained HWRCs will enhance the support that we are able to offer site users in recycling rather than disposing of materials.

“Concerns are often raised regarding the potential for increased flytipping should HWRC provision be reduced.

“However, flytipping is against the law and the need to travel further to access an HWRC is no justification for committing environmental crime.”

Travel for residents to alternative sites is expected to take no more than 20 minutes - within council guidelines.

The environment and scrutiny committee will consider the proposal at a meeting on Tuesday, December 10.