Council bans people from outside area using tips

1 hour ago

Andy GiddingsWest Midlands

The recycling centre at Halesfield will be for people living in the Telford area only from now on

Google The entrance to a tarmaced areas, with a number of large containers within, as well as a white car and a number of traffic cones, with trees in the background — The recycling centre at Halesfield will be for people living in the Telford area only from now on

Recycling centres in Telford will no longer be available for people living outside the local authority's area.

It was estimated that the tips run by the council received 30,000 visits from people without Telford postcodes and they "adds cost and puts extra pressure on the sites", a Telford and Wrekin Council spokesperson said.

From Wednesday, staff at their recycling centres in Halesfield in Hortonwood were asking visitors for proof of their address when they arrived.

In 2024, neighbouring Shropshire Council considered a similar move to ban people from Telford, but backed down after an agreement between the two authorities was reached.

Shropshire Council was contacted by the BBC to ask if its reciprocal agreement with its neighbour would continue.

The Telford and Wrekin Council spokesperson said they carried out postcode surveys at their sites and found one in 10 visits were from outside their area.

The move has upset people in the east of Shropshire, where Telford's recycling centres are closer than the ones offered by Shropshire Council.

Some on social media suggested the change could lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

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