Lib Dems on Oxford City Council have welcomed the decision by Oxfordshire County Council to approve a plan for a new recycling facility in North Oxford. This will mean that much of the domestic and commercial waste collected in Oxford will only have to be taken a few miles up the road, instead of being transported to Milton Keynes for sorting and processing, as happens at present. Savings in transport costs, and savings in carbon emissions, will make a big difference to Oxford’s recycling revolution.

Said Lib Dem group spokesman Cllr Chris Scanlan: “This is the first piece of good news we’ve had recently about recycling in Oxford. The Labour administration which took over from the Lib Dems in May has allowed recycling levels to decline every month. They’ve cancelled the weekly food collection pilot which we had found budget for. And they’ve also put off extending the recycling service to flats.”

Added Cllr Scanlan: “The new Material Recovery Facility (MRF) will replace the ugly old grain silo by the A34 next to one of the park-and-rides on the edge of Oxford. It will have the capacity to process non-hazardous waste from commercial, industrial and municipal sources in Oxford and the surrounding area. This is not an incinerator. It is expected to allow very high levels of recycling, approaching 90% for much of the “clean” commercial and municipal waste we will supply to it. Altogether, this is very good news.”

Carfax Ward Cllr Stephen Brown concluded: “This is good news and my colleague County Councillor Alan Armitage should be congratulated on his efforts to get this new facility approved. However, I am very concerned that the Labour administration have delayed the recycling proposals for flats. Please contact me directly if this continues to cause you problems.”