Walsall announces opening date for £32m waste facility
A ‘vital’ West Midlands waste processing plant will officially open on 2 February, after contractor Morgan Sindall completed work on the scheme last year.
Walsall Council says the £32m facility on Middlemore Lane in Aldridge will represent a “major step forward” in modernising the borough’s waste services, and ties in with the borough council’s 2040 vision to create a “cleaner and greener Walsall for all”.
The 15-acre site includes a household waste recycling centre and waste transfer station, designed to process up to 40,000 tonnes of waste annually across 19 bays.
Merchants Way Household Waste Recycling Centre, situated approximately half a mile from Middlemore Lane, will cease operation from Sunday, 1 February.
Morgan Sindall officially handed over the development, which includes a £1m odour and dust control filtration system, to Walsall Council last autumn.
Speaking at the handover, Richard Fielding, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands, said the development was an “incredible achievement”.
“It makes us proud to deliver a project that will actively contribute to landfill diversion, increased recycling rates, and an overall cleaner borough for Walsall’s residents,” he said.
“Through our commitment to delivering social value and supporting the next generation of construction professionals, we’ve built a lasting connection with the local community and very much look forward to continuing our relationship with Walsall Council in future.”
The council said that around 69% of the workforce for the project was sourced locally, with operatives hired from within a 20-mile radius of the site, as part of efforts to engineer social value from the scheme.
“This project is a huge development for Walsall. What has been delivered here is the definition of ‘state-of-the-art’,” said Councillor Suky Samra, portfolio holder for street scene.
“The site will prove vital in ensuring we can continue to accommodate the waste demands we face in the borough. Our current facilities have served us well, but now is time for a new era, where we recycle and reuse more of our waste.”
