Recycling plant plans for Eastleigh

A new recycling plant could be built in Eastleigh in a bid to reuse more plastic.

Hampshire County Council's looking to submit a planning application for the site on Chickenhall Lane.

The proposed development will enable the county’s waste collection and disposal authorities (district, borough, county and unitary councils) to meet potential future requirements and recycle materials that current facilities are unable to, including plastic pots, tubs and trays, glass and cartons.

The County Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Lead Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, Councillor Rob Humby, said: “This will be an important development for the entire county, providing the ability to significantly increase the recycling capability for the whole of Hampshire.

"The existing two facilities, in Alton and Portsmouth, were designed and built 20 years ago to deal with a set specification that reflected the materials used at that time - plastic bottles, steel and aluminium cans, paper and cardboard.

"Since then there has been huge changes in retail and consumer behaviour and the significant renovation of the facilities that would be needed to increase their scope is neither physically viable, nor cost effective.

“The new facility would enable a wider range of dry mixed recyclables, collected at the kerbside, to be processed - sorting them into the constituent materials ahead of distribution to market and ensure that Hampshire’s waste authorities continue to operate in line with Government expectations and legislation.”

The application will be funded by Hampshire County, Portsmouth City and Southampton City Councils who jointly provide and oversee the waste processing and disposal infrastructure to deal with the waste from all three authority areas.

Councillor Dave Ashmore, Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Safety at Portsmouth City Council said: “We are keen to continue to increase the range of materials that residents can recycle, and we welcome this next step towards delivering this goal.”

Councillor Steven Galton, Cabinet Member for Environment at Southampton City Council, said: “The majority of our residents are looking to do the right thing and recycle as much as they possibly can. The development of this new materials recovery facility will not only enable far more materials to be recycled but will also simplify the recycling process for all of us, providing a long-term solution to the limitations of what can currently be recycled at the existing facilities.

“The combined recycling efforts of so many of us is having an increasingly positive effect on our carbon footprint and our environment. Together we can make a difference.”

The development will also include a Material Analysis facility used to provide data on the quantity and quality of the material that is collected and processed as well as provision of some modest office space, together with welfare facilities and parking for those working at the site.