Market Harborough tip should be open throughout the week while Kibworth's is shut, councillor argues

Market Harborough Tip should be opened throughout the entire week after the waste and recycling site near Kibworth has been shut, insists a leading Harborough district councillor.

The call for urgent action is being made by Cllr Phil Knowles, who heads up the Liberal Democrat opposition on Harborough District Council.

The veteran councillor has spoken out as the popular tip on the A6 outside Kibworth will be closed for the next year as it undergoes a total £5 million revamp.

But the busy waste site on Market Harborough’s Riverside industrial estate is still shut to the public on a Thursday and Friday.

“Leicestershire County Council has got to extend the opening hours of our tip in Market Harborough.

“Local people are being forced to drive to the tips in Oadby or Lutterworth if they cannot access our own town’s tip,” said Cllr Knowles.

“That obviously makes it harder and more expensive for people here.

“And how can that be good for our environment and pollution when people are being forced to drive many more miles and spend more time on our roads?

“So the county council has got to be more creative and constructive here – and act quickly to make Market Harborough tip more accessible across the week.

“I cannot understand, either, why the county council didn’t carry out this massive scheme to upgrade Kibworth waste and recycling centre during the Covid lockdowns.

“That would clearly have been the perfect time and chance to do all this work when all of our tips were sealed off to people anyway.

“The Liberal Democrats would also like to know if all of the material that we recycle is actually being properly recycled at the other end,” declared Cllr Knowles.

“The responsibility on recycling does not end at the kerbside or at the tip.

“We want to know the final destinations of our waste.

“The last thing we want to see is all of the plastics, bottles, cans, jars, paper and everything else that we put into our blue bins ending up in landfill.

“That’s simply not acceptable.”

A Leicestershire County Council spokeswoman said they are studying a number of ways to tackle growing worries over Kibworth tip being shut until November 2022.

“Concerns arising from the necessary closure of the Kibworth site have been brought to the attention of the county council over the last few weeks,” she said.

“We are looking at possible solutions to address those concerns.”

Asked about recycling, she replied:

“This link should give you all the information you need: https://www.lesswaste.org.uk/recycle/what-happens-to-your-kerbside-recycling/”

...