NO redundancies will be made by Hills Waste Solutions following major changes to household recycling centres across Wiltshire.

Each of the 11 household recycling centres, run by Hills Waste Solutions on behalf of Wiltshire Council, will be closed for two days a week from July 13.

Opening each centre for just five days a week and reducing their opening hours is expected to save Wiltshire Council around £290,000 a year without the need to permanently close any household recycling centres in Wiltshire.

All sites will be open on the high usage days of Saturday, Sunday and Monday and two additional days every week.

The additional days at a site will be the same each week but days will vary site to site in order to ensure that residents have access to at least one household recycling centre within their area, north, south, east or west Wiltshire, seven days a week.

Opening hours for household recycling centres are also being reduced from 9am to 4pm in the winter and 9am to 5pm in the summer to 10am to 4pm all year.

Following the council’s decision earlier this year to review the HRC operating hours, Hills Waste Solutions entered into a period of consultation with household recycling centre employees affected by the changes.

Those employees were offered additional hours at alternative sites and recruitment for household recycling centre posts was restricted during the consultation process.

Mike Webster, group director Hills Waste Solutions, said: “We will continue to deliver the same high quality service at HRCs as we have done in the past and these reduced hours will not compromise our standards of operation.”

The changes to the household recycling centres are part of large-scale Wiltshire Council savings with the council needing to find a further £30million this coming financial year.

Toby Sturgis, cabinet member with responsibility for strategic planning, property, waste and strategic housing, said: “I would encourage residents to note the revised opening days and hours for their local HRC from 13 July.

“We have worked hard to find a solution which means that the centres will be open at the busiest times.”

The changes will come into effect a month after free garden waste collections by Wiltshire Council finishes. From June 15, the council is charging £40 per year for fortnightly collections.

The closure days for the recycling centres are as follows:

West:

Trowbridge - Thurs, Fri

Melksham - Tues, Weds

Warminster - Weds, Thurs

North:

Stanton St Quinton - Thurs, Fri

Purton - Tues, Weds

Lower Compton - Weds, Thurs

East:

Devizes - Thurs, Fri

Everleigh - Weds, Thurs

Marlborough - Tues, Weds

South:

Salisbury - Thurs, Fri

Amesbury - Tues, Weds