UPDATE, NOVEMBER 2017
Warlingham Recycling Centre in Bond Road is to stay open after all, but from 8 January 2018 it will only be open on 3 days a week.
Warlingham was one of 4 recycling centres in Surrey that the County Council was proposing to close permanently to save money but following huge objection received during the public consultation on closure, the County Council decided to keep the centres open but to reduce opening hours.
From 8 January 2018, the Warlingham Centre will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 8am to 4pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 4pm.
Opening hours for the Caterham Recycling Centre in Chaldon Road will remain the same but it will be closed on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays from 8 January.
Details of the changes to the recycling service can be found on click here
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Last few days left to write in to Surrey County Council about its proposed closure of the Warlingham Recycling Centre. To send comments:
Either email Surrey County Council at wasteconsultation@surreycc.gov.uk
Or fill in the questionnaire on this link click here
Many residents have been in touch with their concerns. They have made these main points:
* The Warlingham Recycling Centre is widely used by residents and is a vital community service. If it is closed, the nearest recycling centre in Surrey will be at Caterham. This site is already highly congested, often with queues of traffic waiting to go in. The large potential increase in residents using the Caterham site will make the existing health and safety issues there a lot worse. The site is not equipped to deal with such an increase.
* The closure would increase the mileage, and therefore environmental impact, of residents who would otherwise use Warlingham having to travel the extra distance to Caterham. This is an unsustainable approach.
* Fly tipping is already a problem in this part of Surrey and costs Councils a substantial amount of money to clear up. The rural nature of the area makes it an easy option as rubbish can be dumped with a low chance of the perpetrators being spotted. Therefore, closing the Warlingham facility seems particularly self-defeating in terms of financial savings as it will inevitably lead to more fly tipping and more expense for Councils.
* Surrey County Council has recently spent money upgrading the Warlingham Recycling Centre and it is poor management of scarce resources and an unacceptable waste of taxpayers' money to now decide to close it.
