A RECYCLED recycling centre will open in Okehampton tomorrow (Friday) ? the first centre in the county, and possibly in the country, to put theory into practice and be built using mainly recycled or reused materials.
The construction of Okehampton?s new recycling centre marks a milestone in Devon County Council?s commitment to recycle or re-use materials whenever possible.
The new centre at Exeter Road Industrial Estate, which cost £650,000 to build, replaces the former weekly rural skip waste disposal service.
The range of materials that can be recycled at the site includes glass, textiles, newspaper, garden waste, cardboard, cans, metal, wood, plastic, car batteries and re-usable household goods.
It is important that when people visit the site, the goods are left in the appropriate containers to make the recycling process easier and more effective.
As well as offering recycling facilities, salvaged goods such as tools, furniture and bric-a-brac will be offered for sale to the public for re-use as they accumulate over the next few months.
A host of ingenious uses were found for recycled materials in the construction of the centre. The base of the site was created using planings from road maintenance work carried out by the county council and the roads were constructed using tarmac containing recycled crushed rock from Meldon Quarry.
Recycled aggregates from china clay spoil heaps were used in the concrete. Crushed glass from the council?s own bottle banks was also used in road construction and in the blockwork. A material made from recycled black bin liners was used for cladding, bollards and fencing.
The task of implementing sustainable construction was taken on by the county council?s engineering design group working with civil engineers Warwick Contractors.
The centre has a target to recycle 60% of all household waste received during this financial year. It is hoped that householders visiting the site will use the recycling facilities to the full to ensure that maximum recycling levels can be achieved.
The centre also has new signage and a new information board, which provides information and advice on recycling and waste. These have been designed by local company Lionheart Marketing Communications.
The recycling depot will be opened tomorrow (Friday) at 10.30am by the vice-chairman of Devon County Council, Cllr Michael Lee.
The site will be open seven days a week and the opening times are as follows:
Open all year round ? except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year?s Day.
Summer hours (April to September) ? Monday to Friday: 8am-6pm, Saturdays and Sundays: 10am-6pm.
Winter hours (October to March) ? Monday to Friday: 8am-4.30pm, Saturdays and Sundays: 10am-4.30pm.