'We need another tip'

A COMMUNITY leader is calling for another recycling centre to be built in North Somerset to discourage fly-tipping.Portishead's civic amenity site has been closed since April, so residents who would normally use it, are having to travel to Backwell or Weston-super-Mare instead.Backwell's new recycling centre is due to be up and running in October and Portishead's tip is due to open again in December.But Tom Collinson, chairman of Backwell Residents' Association, claims that even then, there will not be enough places where people can dispose of rubbish responsibly.He fears that fly-tipping will increase unless another civic amenity site is built.Mr Collinson said: "There are too few civic amenity sites in North Somerset."A new recycling centre in the middle of North Somerset is urgently needed."It should be sited on an industrial site, away from housing, or it could be in the green belt, perhaps on Nailsea Moor or in the outskirts of Clevedon."Expecting people to drive for miles to dispose of their rubbish legally is unrealistic. I'm sure a farmer would be delighted to sell North Somerset Council a field where a recycling centre could be sited, and the land wouldn't be hugely expensive."A spokesman for the council said: "The waste local plan states that, if possible, residents should be within five miles of a recycling centre. The three sites in North Somerset provide this level of access for most people."With the increased recycling and green waste kerbside collections that we provide, we feel we are providing a good service for residents. Despite the temporary closure of one of our recycling centres, we have not experienced an increase in fly-tipping."We are currently developing a new facility in Backwell, which is a larger facility with better access than the existing one.