Norwich's new £2.75m replacement recycling centre has opened its doors.

Norfolk County Council's new centre, near Norwich Airport, close to where the Northern Distributor Road meets the A140, was opened on Wednesday (September 22) morning.

New-multi-million-pound-recycling-centre-opens

It was a quiet start at the new centre on Wednesday morning, although one particularly keen visitor had arrived before the gates had opened.

Eastern Daily Press: The Norwich North Recycling Centre.The Norwich North Recycling Centre. (Image: Archant)

The new centre includes a one-way system, with parking for cars and bikes, while, because the bins are at a lower level, there are no steps on site.

Staff from Norse Environmental Waste Services (NEWS) were on hand to help those drivers who did head up on Wednesday morning to visit the new centre.

Work on the centre started a year ago and it had been due to open on September 10.

Eastern Daily Press: The new Norwich North Recycling Centre opensThe new Norwich North Recycling Centre opens (Image: Archant)

But the county council said material shortages and the need to be safe during the coronavirus pandemic meant the opening was slightly delayed - and there is still some work left to do.

The reuse shop at the site is not ready to open yet and some work is still going on in parts of the site.

Eastern Daily Press: Andy Grant, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for environment and waste.Andy Grant, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for environment and waste. (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

Andy Grant, the council's cabinet member for environment and waste, said: "We’re really pleased to welcome people to the new site, which is the largest in Norfolk, and is part of our multi-million pound programme of investment to improve recycling centres across the county.

"There are a few finishing touches to be made over the following weeks, ahead of the official opening in October.

"And we’re really looking forward to being able to open the county’s largest reuse shop on site this coming January.”

Eastern Daily Press: The new Norwich North Recycling Centre.The new Norwich North Recycling Centre. (Image: Archant)

The new centre replaces the one at Swanton Road in Mile Cross, which closed its doors for the last time a fortnight ago.

The centre will be open from 9am to 5pm (until 4pm in the winter) seven days a week.

Eastern Daily Press: The new Norwich North Recycling Centre opens.The new Norwich North Recycling Centre opens. (Image: Archant)

A new £1.9m Norwich South site, at Harford, is due to open later this year, replacing the Ketteringham recycling centre.

That centre, being built on part of the Harford Park and Ride site, will also feature a one-way system, bins without steps and a reuse shop.