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Rubbish tip trial extended by bosses

A trial to keep rubbish tips in Walsall open for longer has been extended by three months by council chiefs costing £110,000.

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Walsall Council

Walsall Council’s cabinet approved plans to keep its household waste recycling centres in Fryers Road, Bloxwich, and Merchants Way, Aldridge, open for seven days a week between July and September.

The scheme means the facilities will remain open until 8pm on one day a week each – Tuesdays in Aldridge and Thursdays in Bloxwich.

In April, the authority announced the extended hours trial would run for three months until the end of June, as part of a wider crackdown on fly-tipping across the borough.

The extension of the experiment was confirmed by the council’s cabinet at a meeting on Wednesday.

A report to cabinet said: “The original trial to help reduce fly-tipping for the period April 2019 to June 2019 was approved by cabinet on October 24 2018.

“The cost of the extension of the revised opening hours of £110k is to be met from earmarking of reserves.”

Council leader Mike Bird set out his plans to meet election manifesto pledges at a full council meeting on Monday.

He said the results of the extended tip opening trial, as well as the impact of a free bulky collection initiative and free skip days also held in the borough, would be presented to council in September.

His report said: “My administration will continue to make cracking down on environmental crime a key priority.”

Earlier this year, the council announced it would issue the maximum fines possible to people who committed fly-tipping and littering across the borough.

The authority also launched its ‘Most Wanted’ scheme which offered residents a reward of £500 if information they provided lead to a successful prosecution of fly-tippers.

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