Rubbish mix-up at recycling village is cleaned up by council bosses

People can visit a South Tyneside recycling village with their rubbish on foot - but they must warn council staff first.
Recycling Village at Middlefields Industrial Estate.Recycling Village at Middlefields Industrial Estate.
Recycling Village at Middlefields Industrial Estate.

A frustrated Gazette reader said he arrived at the Recycling Village in Middlefields, South Shields, last week, to drop off some lightweight, but bulky, Christmas rubbish.

However, he claims he was told by an on-site worker that he was supposed to be ‘chased away’ - as he might get run over by a car.

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The man said: “It was very busy as it was just after Christmas and obviously lots of people had the same idea, so there were a lot of cars lined up.

“I only actually had a few things, some bulky lightweight rubbish, so I thought I’d park my car up and then walk in with it.

“But then a member of staff informed me that he was supposed to chase me off the site as you’re not supposed to just walk in, in case you get knocked over by one of the vehicles.”

He added: “I was allowed to get rid of my rubbish in the end, but I never knew this was an issue, I thought you could just go in and dump your rubbish.

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“What happens if you want to get rid of junk that won’t fit in your bin but you don’t have a car?”

However, council bosses say people can still just turn up to the site, but they recommend contact is made with a member of staff so they can advise and assist.

Coun Moira Smith, South Tyneside Council’s lead member for area management and community safety, said: “As the Recycling Village is the major facility in the area, most people arrive in cars with their materials for recycling.

“However we do allow people from the local area to carry small quantities of bagged waste into the site and there are a small number of residents doing this. These people are known to us and have been made aware of our safety procedures to enable them to move safely across the site.

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“It would not be feasible to allow people to walk in with large items such as a three piece suite without contacting us first, as this may pose a safety risk on site to our staff and other Recycling Village users.”

The Recycling village at Middlefields is open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Sunday and from 9am to 7.30pm on Bank Holiday weekends.

The busiest times are at weekends, for a quieter visit try before 11am or after 4pm.

For more information, visit www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/33365/Recycling-Village-and-permits