Proposals for Middlemore Lane and Fryers Road

Overview

We are proposing to modernise, enhance and future proof your Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and waste disposal facilities. This is because our existing facilities will not be able to meet long-term requirements.

There are currently two HWRCs in Walsall:

• Mechants Way, Aldridge
• Fryers Road, Bloxwich, plus Waste Transfer Station (WTS)

We want to hear your views about the proposal.

Our proposals

We are proposing to improve our facilities by:

• developing a new 'super' HWRC at Middlemore Lane, Aldridge
• moving the WTS from Fryers Road to Middlemore Lane (next to the new HWRC)
• closing the WTS at Fryers Road
• redeveloping Fryers Road to provide bigger and better HWRC facilities to residents
• closing the HWRC in Merchants Way

We'll make the improvements in phases:

1. Complete the new facilities at Middlemore Lane.
2. Close Fryers Road for re-development.
3. Once work at Fryers Road has been completed, and the two new HWRCs are open, close Merchants Way HWRC.

Why do we need new facilities?

Our existing facilities are outdated and inadequate. Queues at both sites often spill onto surrounding roads, affecting local businesses and other road users. We can't recycle or reuse as much as we want to due to lack of space for skips.

The WTS (where our ‘bin lorries’ take the rubbish they collect) was damaged by fire in 2017. Construction requirements have changed since it was built, and it now falls short of current standards. We cannot meet required standards by investment alone. The site is also too small to meet the borough's growing requirements. To comply with current and proposed environmental legislation, it needs to be replaced. 

We carried out an extensive land search and selection process to find suitable land for a new facility. Middlemore Lane has been assessed as the most appropriate location.

Benefits to Walsall

Our recycling rate is approximately 40%. The Government has set targets to recycle 65% of household waste by 2035, with no more than 10% going to landfill. These proposals will help improve our environmental performance. The Environment Bill will soon place legal demands on us to produce less waste and to recycle more.

The proposed new facilities will:

• provide capacity to deal with our waste as the population grows
• reduce queuing for residents and reduce the impact on local roads
• increase the range of items that can be recycled and re-used
• enable us to meet the requirements of the Environment Bill
• ensure compliance with environmental legislation
• include re-use schemes with charitable partners
• introduce a small trader scheme for local businesses to dispose of their waste
• generate renewable energy - solar panels on both sites will provide a lot of the energy they need
• include landscaping and green roofs where possible

Images of the proposed Middlemore Lane facility

Use the arrows to see more images.

Find out more and tell us what you think about the proposal

You can:

• find out more on our frequently asked questions page
• download newsletters about the proposals on our public engagement page
• view and comment on the planning applications for the new proposals using the Planning Applications and Decisions search facility.  Middlemore Lane search reference is 22/0100 and Fryers Road search reference is 22/0105.