Full cost of running Walsall’s new super tip revealed

The £32 million super tip on Middlemore Lane, Aldridge, has been described as the biggest in Europe.

The facility has 38 different skips across 19 bays to recycle a wide range of materials.

A dedicated reuse shop also operates on site, giving new life to items that might otherwise have been thrown away.

Freedom of Information figures state that the average cost for running the super tip is £109,000 per month.

The average monthly cost of running the existing Merchants Way tip is £52,000.

And for the Fryers Road Household Waste Recycling Centre the monthly cost is £66,000, not including the waste transfer station.

A spokesperson for Walsall Council said: “When the full site running costs are taken into account, including the Waste Transfer Station at Fryers Road, the cost of operating Fryers Road and Merchants Way is comparable to the projected cost of operating Middlemore Lane and Fryers Road.

“The development of the new state-of-the-art Household Waste Recycling Centre at Middlemore Lane provides Walsall with a modern, fit-for-purpose facility that is capable of meeting the borough’s needs for many years to come.

“This site includes future-proofed waste transfer provision, the introduction of a reuse shop, the first of its kind in Walsall, and a small trader scheme, to allow local businesses to dispose of their waste properly. This scheme will commence on the site in due course.

“These enhancements support better waste behaviours, with the aim of reducing the amount of waste sent for disposal while increasing recycling rates.

“In the longer term, reducing the amount of waste produced and increasing recycling delivers clear financial benefits for the council, as disposal is significantly more expensive than recycling.”