Honiton could be one of six towns to receive a new recycling centre, replacing the ‘not fit for purpose’ Sutton Barton site.

Honiton could soon be one of six towns set to get a replacement recycling centre, the plan would see the ‘constrained’ and ‘remote’ Sutton Barton site replaced entirely.

Devon could be set to get six new recycling centres to replace ones ‘not fit-for-purpose’ with ones that are a lot easier, safer and more convenient.

Devon County Council’s cabinet on Wednesday morning will be asked to endorse a strategy which sets out a vision for the modernisation of the current household waste and recycling centres to meet the demands of the 21st century.

The proposals, which councillors are recommended to approve, would see six new sites opened to replace the current ‘not fit for purpose’ centres and to ensure the Household Waste Recycling Centre service is well placed to meet the growing needs placed upon it.

Newton Abbot, Barnstaple, Tiverton, Honiton, Totnes and Kingsbridge, and Tavistock are identified in the report as areas where new centres are needed – with the cabinet also to be asked for approval to be granted for the submission of a planning application for a replacement Household Waste Recycling Centre to serve the latter.

Meg Booth, Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste, in her report to Wednesday’s meeting, said: “There are still several older Household Waste Recycling Centre sites across Devon that are no longer fit for purpose and not suited to modern demands, leading to health and safety concerns and increasingly higher levels of customer dissatisfaction.

“If the status quo was maintained, the Household Waste Recycling Centre service would not be improved, and the public would have to keep using several old facilities that are no longer fit for purpose and suffer significant issues including health and safety. This may eventually result in some facilities having to be closed.”

According to the report: “The existing facility at Sutton Barton is small, constrained and suffers significant queuing problems albeit off the public highway. There are health and safety concerns with vulnerable people accessing skips via steps, and the site is very remote from the main population centre that it serves. A new facility in the Honiton area is therefore proposed.”