A large majority of residents responding to a local survey have warned that closing the Lower Compton Household Recycling Centre in 2026 would lead to increased fly-tipping, more waste going to landfill and significant inconvenience for Calne and surrounding communities.
The survey follows Wiltshire Council’s decision, agreed by Cabinet on 9th December, to close the Lower Compton and Purton recycling centres when their contracts end on 1st August 2026, citing sharply rising costs charged by site owner Hills Waste Solutions.
While the council has committed to delivering a new, council-owned recycling centre in north Wiltshire by late 2028, residents in the Calne area face a gap of more than two years with no local facility.
Calne News and Calne Town Council teamed up to launch the survey following Wiltshire Council’s decision to close the Lower Compton and Purton sites, and received 969 responses, reflecting the scale of local concern.
Results show that Lower Compton is heavily relied upon, with 65 per cent of respondents saying they visit the site often, and a further 23.9 per cent saying they visit sometimes. Just 0.4 per cent said they never use the site.
Despite the council’s suggestion that residents could use alternative recycling centres, almost 90 per cent of respondents said they do not currently use any other Household Recycling Centre, underlining how central Lower Compton is to local waste disposal.
When asked why they use the site, residents cited a wide range of needs. DIY waste (70 per cent) and electrical items (67.8 per cent) were among the most common reasons, along with excess household waste (65.1 per cent) and garden waste (64.8 per cent) - materials which cannot easily be disposed of through regular kerbside collections.
Concerns about what would happen if Lower Compton closes were also stark. Asked how they would deal with waste they could not dispose of locally, 44.2 per cent of respondents said they would add it to their domestic waste bin, while just 15.8 per cent said they would drive to the nearest open recycling centre. A further 38.3 per cent said they were unsure, a result many respondents warned could translate into increased fly-tipping.
One resident commented: “Closing this centre will add to more going into landfill. If we don’t have recycling locally, more recyclable material will be put in household waste bins.”
Another said: “The proposed loss of the Lower Compton site will make my focus change from recycling of unwanted items to disposal by any means.”
The prospect of a new recycling centre opening near Royal Wootton Bassett by 2028 appears to offer little reassurance. Asked whether they would use a site near Royal Wootton Bassett if one opened, only 10.6 per cent said yes, while 49.3 per cent said no and 40.1 per cent said maybe - suggesting many residents would still face longer journeys or barriers to access.
Among the 541 written comments were also submitted, opposition to the closure was overwhelming. Repeated themes included fears of rising fly-tipping, longer journeys, increased traffic and pollution, and frustration that a busy, well-run site is being lost without a confirmed local replacement.
Several respondents described Lower Compton as “always busy”, “efficient” and “essential infrastructure” for a growing town, while others raised concerns about disabled residents, those without access to a car, and working people who may struggle with longer journeys or future booking systems.
One resident wrote: “It’s part of the infrastructure a town needs and Calne has grown without the supporting infrastructure it should have. The last thing we need is to lose what we’ve got.”
Another warned: “The money you save will be wasted employing crews and vehicles to clear the rise in fly-tipping. You should be making it easier to recycle, not harder.”
Wiltshire Council has said the closure is unavoidable due to rising costs charged by site owner Hills Waste Solutions and insists it cannot allow itself to be “held over a barrel” by a private contractor. However, many respondents called for further negotiations, compulsory purchase, or investment in the existing site rather than closure.
The survey results add weight to concerns already raised by town councillors, local political groups and Wiltshire MP Sarah Gibson, all of whom have warned that shutting the site without a nearby alternative risks undermining recycling efforts and placing extra pressure on both residents and council services.
With more than a year until the planned closure date, residents are now urging Wiltshire Council to reconsider the decision, pause the closure, and engage in meaningful consultation before a facility so widely used is lost.
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