Suffolk County Council today named the seven household waste recycling sites set to close as part of its cost-cutting drive.
The county wants to close seven of its 18 recycling centres in a bid to save �800,000 from its budget.
The move has proved very controversial with fears that it could lead to an increase in fly-tipping as people cannot be bothered to make long return journeys to dispose of waste responsibly.
The seven sites to close on the May 9 are: Beccles, Bramford, Brome, Chelmondiston, Ingham, Newmarket and Southwold.
Sites to remain open will be: Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Foxhall, Hadleigh, Haverhill, Ipswich, Leiston, Lowestoft, Mildenhall, Stowmarket and Sudbury.
The remaining sites will be open for up to two hours a day less than before.
From 1 April 2011, the new opening hours will be:
April to September: 9am until 5pm – Monday to Saturday
October to March: 9am until 4pm – Monday to Saturday
All year round: 10am until 4pm - Sundays and bank holidays
The sites will close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, as usual.
The closures and new hours are set to approved at tomorrow's county council budget setting meeting which wants to being in �43m of cuts in 2011/12.
What do you think of the new arrangements? Contact reporter Anthony Carroll at anthony.carroll@archant.co.uk
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