Beal Hey dumped despite protests

DESPITE a petition with over 5,100 signatures, Beal Hey Recycling Centre in Shaw will be axed.

Councillor Mark Alcock had hoped to keep the Chandos Street facility open after a protest march and months of campaigning.

But Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority has decided to shut the site in a cost-cutting measure.

The centre is one of six to close across the county and is expected to be shut within three months. The recycling and waste management contract has provided around £30million of investment in 25 Household Waste Recycling Centres and 18 have been subject to major improvement or replacement.

Councillor Alcock said: “This decision to close Beal Hey is completely wrong. The consultation process was a complete farce and the saddest thing is the authority’s report was written as though the site had already been dismissed.

“They said the site was constrained and they couldn’t expand it — I found a perfect solution for that after speaking to someone who owns the site next to it, but they weren’t interested.”

Oldham’s Arkwright Street centre is the nearest alternative on the Chadderton border.

Councillor Neil Swannick, chairman of the authority said: “The authority does not want to close any sites, but unfortunately financial savings of this significance could not be achieved in other areas without affecting the level of service provided to council-tax payers across Greater Manchester.
“Residents will have kerbside collections and recycling centres available to them within their district which will allow them to continue recycling.”