Opening days at Worthing's rubbish tip to be increased

Cllr Callum Buxton and Cllr Alex Harman campaigning for increased opening hours at Worthing Tip earlier this year

The Household Waste and Recycling Site, at the Hambridge Trading Estate off Willowbrook Road, has been closed for two days a week since October 2016 as part of cost-cutting measures implemented by the county council.

However the changes have been reviewed and from April the rubbish tip will be open all week in summer and six days a week during the winter months.

The news has been welcomed by Conservatives in East Worthing, as Worthing borough councillors Callum Buxton and Alex Harman have been calling for a rethink since the reduced hours were introduced.

Cllr Buxton said: “Over the past twelve months the one issue that has cropped up time and again when we’ve been out talking to residents in East Worthing has been the reduced opening hours at the tip.

“While queues are not as long as they initially were, we haven’t changed our opinion that Worthing residents deserve at least an equal service to residents in Crawley where the opening hours were longer.

“This is great news and I am grateful to Cllrs [Deborah] Urquhart and [Louise] Goldsmith for enabling these increased hours”.

Sites at Shoreham and Littlehampton will remain closed for two days a week.

During the winter months, from October to March, the HWRS at Crawley, Weshampnett, and Burgess Hill, will be closed for a day a week.

In the summer all rubbish tips will be open from 9am-6pm, apart from Bognor Regis, Crawley, and Littlehampton, which will all open at 8.30am on weekdays, to address problems with queuing.

In the winter opening hours will be 9am-4pm across the board.

According to officers the changes last year saved the council £560,000 a year but the new option is estimated to increase costs by £24,000.

The decision report says: “The sites continue to be well used and well regarded by residents. The recommended options would not change the overall availability of seven out of eleven sites, improves availability at Worthing.

“While opening days would be reduced from seven to six at Crawley, Burgess Hill and Westhampnett in the winter, these sites would still open for one day a week more than the rest.”