Recycling collections to resume across Central Bedfordshire after Bletchley waste transfer station fire
Kerbside dry mixed recycling collections are to resume across Central Bedfordshire from Monday, March 23 after they were temporarily suspended this week following a fire at a waste transfer station facility in Bletchley.
A blaze broke out at the Bletchley Landfill site on Guernsey Road in Newton Leys at around 1am on Tuesday March 17, with six fire engines and crews, including some from Bedfordshire, initially called to tackle the incident.
Dry mixed recycling collected from residents’ homes is normally taken to the site, where it is bulked before being transported to a separate facility.
With the waste transfer station not available to use due to the blaze, Central Bedfordshire Council’s kerbside dry recycling collection service was disrupted.
The authority confirmed in an update on Friday March 20 that recycling collections would resume on March 23.
Residents due a dry recycling or residual waste collection during the week starting March 23 are asked to put bins out on collection days as normal from 7am.
Central Bedfordshire Council confirmed that bulky waste collections would also resume from March 23, and that priority would be given to existing bookings.
The incident generated multiple calls to Thames Valley Fire Control Service, and large plumes of smoke were visible in the surrounding areas.
Residents were advised to keep doors and windows closed and warned of smoke affecting visibility on local roads.
Bucks Fire and Rescue reported that the building was around 80 per cent damaged by fire and 100 per cent damaged by smoke, with crews using main jets, water delivered by the turntable ladder and positive pressure ventilation fans to tackle the blaze.
Firefighters remained at the site for more than 24 hours, and finally left the scene at around 10.20am on March 18.
Councillor Wye, executive member for sustainability and climate resilience at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “I am extremely grateful to residents for their patience during this disruption, and I am delighted the Council has managed to identify and secure a new waste transfer facility so quickly.
“The cause of this fire is not yet known and remains under investigation by the relevant fire authorities. However, batteries placed in household bins are a known and growing cause of fires at waste and recycling facilities across the country. We know this was the cause of the fire at the Elstow Waste Transfer Station, underlining the dangers of incorrect disposal.
"That is why we will be writing to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and inviting them to the Council to discuss the risks posed by batteries in bins. We will also seek action from government to make recycling easier for everyone. Government must play its part in helping to prevent fires at recycling facilities.”
Advice for households whose dry recycling bins were not collected between Tuesday, March 17 and Friday, March 20 is on the Council’s website.