Record number of visitors to recycling centres with improved service and warmer weather
28 April 2025
Service improvements, finer weather and a stretch of bank holidays mean household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) are dealing with busier-than-usual conditions across West Northamptonshire.
Over 67,000 visits have been made across the sites during April, coinciding with the first month of an improved contract which has introduced seven-day opening and improvements to parking layouts at some of the centres.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is working with its contractor FCC Environment to progress further improvements for residents as part of the new contract, which continues to see the centres managed by the same, experienced staff who have been running them for over 15 years in highly-controlled work zones, with strict health and safety rules and processes.
All HWRCs are now open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm, offering people more opportunities to visit on a day and time that is convenient for them. Since being introduced at the start of April, we have seen a 20% increase in visitors who are making use of the new open days during the week, which means more visitors are choosing to visit sites on weekdays instead of weekends.
Parking arrangements at Sixfields, Ecton and Towcester have also been brought in line with the other centres, with marked bays replacing parallel parking to reduce the distance between cars and containers to improve safety. Sites are also focusing on diverting as much as waste possible from the general waste, to make sure that we're maximising the amount that can be recycled.
Following a busy Easter period and with more warm weather this week heading into the May bank holiday weekend, sites are once again expected to be busier than usual and residents are urged to follow guidance to support the smooth-running of the sites including:
- Pre-sorting their waste and recycling before arriving at the site to speed up the process.
- Getting used to following the new parking arrangements at Sixfields, Ecton and Towcester, by parking in the marked bays and following instructions from site staff. Extra staff will be on hand to help direct cars while everyone gets used to the new arrangements.
- Avoiding blocking the highway.
- Making use of all six sites across the area.
As the new contract moves forward, all kinds of systems and processes will be explored in the future to see if any of them can make the service more efficient and further improve the experience for residents. A new onsite reuse shop at Sixfields HWRC is also set to open in the autumn, to complement the existing shop at Farthinghoe Recycling and Re-use Centre and improvements are being made to car parking bays and access at the site as part of this scheme. The reuse shop will be operated via our charity partner Cynthia Spencer and people will be able to visit the recycling centres and shop to donate items suitable for reuse/sale.
To find your nearest centre, please visit our Household Waste Recycling Centres page.