Newton Abbot rubbish tip upgrade starts next week

'The timescales are challenging, and require prompt action'

Newton Abbot’s tip will stay open throughout a major upgrade which will see it brought up to date for the latest government regulations.

However, there will be changes to the traffic system to and from the waste transfer station at Brunel Road from time to time during the £3million project.

Work will get under way on Monday April 13.

The works include new covered storage buildings with fire‑resistant segregation, an improved drainage system to protect local watercourses and enhanced sorting and storage capacity for new recyclable materials such as soft plastics.

The project will also see the installation of new systems for fire safety and operational cleaning, alongside a solar panel system to generate renewable energy on site.

Access to the recycling centre will remain via the current access road, but later in the scheme cars will temporarily exit the site through Teignbridge Council’s car park next door.

The council says its project will deliver ‘significant infrastructure improvements’ to meet new national waste legislation and support the government’s recycling reforms which will allow a wider range of recyclable materials, including flexible plastics and films, to be collected from all households by 2027.

The solar panel system is expected to generate around 19,000 kWh of electricity each year, saving almost four tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The overall project is scheduled for completion by late summer 2027.

Cllr Peter Williams (Lib Dem, Teignmouth East), the council’s executive member for environmental services, told a meeting last year that the Brunel Road depot handled 16,000 tonnes of waste every year, and the changes were needed in order to qualify for an Environment Agency permit.

“This project is essential to ensure that we can continue to deliver efficient recycling collections to all households in the district,” he said. “The timescales are challenging, and require prompt action.”