Green light for £4m recycling centre at March despite 17 per cent hike in costs

Cambridgeshire County Council took a 17 per cent hit to agree to fund a new £4m household recycling centre in March. A council committee today heard details of the tender exercise and costings “which indicates that capital costs will exceed the original capital budget allocation of £3,400,000 to £3,976,000”.

The environment and green investment committee agreed the revised cost after ruling out the possible option of not proceeding “and the consequential implications such a decision would carry”.

The council will relocate the household recycling centre to land adjacent to the existing site on Hundred Road, March.

“The new split-level facility will be more accessible and make it easier for people to put items directly into containers, without the need to climb stairs,” said a council spokesperson.

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“The larger site will also help meet the needs of the area’s growing population.”

Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Environment & Green Investment Committee, Councillor Lorna Dupre said: “From coffee pods and vapes to car parts and hardcore, our Household Recycling Centres accept a range of everyday items – we reuse and recycle as much as we can.”

Cllr Lorna Dupre, committee chair, said the new split-level facility at March “will make it even easier for people to recycle with more space to queue and then reverse park on an upper level, so residents can dispose of items into the containers below.

“We’re keen to create a greener Cambridgeshire for everyone, so I’m delighted the new recycling centre at March will also offer a re-use shop providing items for sale or for free, when suitable for further use”.

The larger site will offer an enhanced space for vehicle access, queuing, and car parking, as well as better providing for those who choose to travel to the site by bike or on foot.

Recycling facilities in March are set for a £4m upgrade, after Cambridgeshire County Council agreed for a replacement. Visual of the new household recycling centre

Access will remain via a new entrance from Hundred Road. There will also be new arrangements for the waste contractors vehicles to improve site safety.

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The council spokesperson said: “The recycling centre will feature a purpose-built shop where residents can bring their unwanted but functioning items to be sold at low or no cost.

“It is hoped this will encourage the re-use of items that would otherwise go to waste, in line with council ambitions for a greener Cambridgeshire where residents are supported to reduce, re-use, recycle and repair items to avoid contributing unnecessarily to landfill.”

The spokesperson explained that a consultation on changes to the household recycling facilities was carried out in summer 2022.

“Following a successful tendering exercise, the scheme costs have now been confirmed to be around £3.9m,” said the spokesperson.

“These finalised costs add in inflation, as well as recent sector-wide increases in construction material costs and labour.

“Relocation of the recycling facility means that the existing site can remain open throughout the works. Construction of the new site is anticipated to take around nine months and start early next year.”

The existing March Household Recycling Centre site will return to the landfill tenant, FCC Environment, a waste management company, at the end of December 2025, “so they can restore the site in line with planning requirements.

“The tender for a design and build contractor was published earlier in the year with the council receiving four bids for the works which have been evaluated for cost and quality by the council’s independent consultants”.

March Household Recycling Centre is open daily from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 4pm and 9am to 4pm on Sunday and most bank holidays during summer opening hours. Peak times are between 11am and 2pm and at weekends.

March is one of nine household waste recycling centres in the county which are run by Thalia on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council.