Protesters make case for Beal Hey

Shaw & Crompton Parish Council meeting
AROUND 50 concerned residents turned out to lodge their opposition as the axe continues to hang over Shaw’s Beal Hey recycling centre.

Protesters piled into last night’s Shaw and Crompton Parish Council meeting to tell Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority bosses they want it to stay open.

They were assured no decision had yet been taken. That, said David Taylor, the authority’s director of contract services, would be made on Friday after comments put forward by the campaigners had been considered.

He said the authority had to save £1million this year, with more savings ahead, and that had not been known when £200,000 was spent refurbishing the Beal Hey site a short time ago.

The coalition Government with its austerity measures was forcing the move, he said, and the authority could save £875,000 by closing six of its smaller sites.

Mr Taylor said it wanted to expand recycling at other sites, such as Arkwright Street in Oldham, into areas including carpets, mattresses, cooking oil and furniture.

But that could only be done by making savings by closing sites like Beal Hey where there was no room for expansion.

Councillor Rod Blyth accused the authority of “living in fantasy land” if it thought locals would make the seven-mile round trip to Arkwright Street. He also claimed fly-tipping would go through the roof — with Oldham Council forced to pick up the tab.

He said: “That tip is one of the busiest I have ever seen.”

Told by the authority’s deputy clerk and treasurer, John Bland, that Oldham had a “really good” kerbside recycling service which would collect much of the rubbish taken to Beal Hey, Councillor Mark Alcock said: “There are a lot of terrace houses in Shaw and Crompton which don’t have the capacity to store all those bins.”

Councillor Alcock launched the Save Beal Hey campaign, which has already attracted more than 3,000 signatures from protesters.

He added: “This is about having local facilities for local people.”

Residents highlighted a number of concerns including one woman with a one-quarter acre garden who said her recycling bin just wasn’t big enough.

Another said: “Without that tip there will be a lot more waste going into my grey bin,” and a third asked why she would use bigger facilities when Beal Hey had a friendly, personal staff, who looked after her. It’s the best tip for miles around,” she said.

Councillor David Murphy said he had taken neighbours’ bins there when they remained unemptied during the snowy weather.
“I won’t be taking them to Arkwright Street,” he added.