Worthing rubbish tip could see its days and opening hours cut by county council

West Sussex County Council is proposing the changes to its household waste and recycling sites (HWRS) in a bid to save £2m a year.

Currently, all HWRSs across West Sussex are open seven days each week, with the exception of Midhurst which is open six days.

Westhampnett would remain open seven days a week, apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, but Littlehampton would be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Shoreham would be shut on Monday and Tuesdays, while Worthing would not be open on Thursdays and Fridays.

Meanwhile total opening hours for all the sites would be reduced to 8.30am-4.30pm Monday to Sunday including bank holidays.

Currently sites are open 8am-7pm Monday to Friday and 9am-7pm during the weekends and bank holidays during the summer. In the winter they open at the same time but close at 5pm, two hours earlier.

Other proposed changes would see the tips charge to dispose non-household waste such as soil, hard-core, plasterboard and car and van tyres, as this costs the county council around £600,000 a year.

A charge of £4 per bag and the same per tyre would be introduced.

Lorry, tractor and mobile plant tyres would no longer be accepted as around 100 are received each year and cost between £20 and £80 to dispose each.

The consultation document argues that other county councils who have introduced similar changes have not seen an increase in fly-tipping as a result.

The draft consultation form reads: “We appreciate that these proposals will have an impact on some residents but in every single case we have tried hard to find solutions which save money, but minimise the inconvenience to the largest number of residents.

“We think this is the right thing to do when budgets are being squeezed ever harder, as we think we should be prioritising the money we spend on people, not waste.”

The consultation is set to start on Monday May 16. Visit https://haveyoursay.westsussex.gov.uk

The county council is expected to decide later in the summer, and if approved, the proposed changes would start in October.

David Barling (Con, Bramber Castle), cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “We appreciate these proposals will impact upon some residents.

“But when faced with a situation like this with squeezed budgets, we have to look at the wider picture.

“We feel there are efficiencies we can make that produce significant savings, while still providing an effective service for the vast majority of people.”

He added: “Please go online and tell us what you think about these plans.

“We are listening and want to understand everybody’s opinion on these changes before we make any decision.”

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