THE new Bridport waste management centre will open to the public on Thursday 1 October, bringing to an end a 22-year wait.

The purpose-built facility at Broomhills off the A35 combines a household recycling centre and waste transfer station.

The area has been without a dedicated facility to manage its waste since the Bothenhampton landfill site closed in 1993.

After an extensive search and consultation, planning permission for the site at Broomhills was granted in January 2014. 

Since 1998, residents have used the small HRC on South Street, which due to its town centre location only accepts garden waste on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays. 

The South Street site will close permanently on Wednesday 30 September 30. 

The new centre will be open seven days a week and allow residents to recycle an extensive range of household materials.

It is built on split levels, with the HRC on the upper level, allowing residents to drive up and place items directly into the containers below without the need to climb steps.

The waste transfer station, on the lower level, will be used to store and bulk up rubbish and recycling collected from local households and the HRC before it is transported to treatment and disposal facilities. 

The £8m centre has been built to highly sustainable standards with a green roof and solar panels to power the site’s lighting. The timber-clad walls will help the centre blend into the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Extensive tree-planting and landscaping will also soften the visual aspect and enhance a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI). 

Construction of the site included the creation of a new signal-controlled junction on the A35. Only vehicles turning right out of the site will trigger a red light, with other vehicles using filter lanes to enter and exit the site. Sensors on the A35 will help keep traffic flowing during busy times.

The opening of the new centre coincides with the introduction of the new Recycle for Dorset collection service for around 20,000 households in the Beaminster, Bridport and Lyme Regis area the week beginning Monday 19 October. 

This will mark the completion of the phased roll-out of the standardised service across Dorset.