Fly-tipping and Discarded Mattresses Cause Problems at Ash Recycling Site

Published on: 23 Jul, 2023
Updated on: 25 Jul, 2023

By David Reading

A message has gone out to residents of Ash about the shocking state of the recycling site at Coronation Gardens, in Ash Hill Road.

The amount of waste builds up on a daily basis, resulting in the bins overflowing, and there is an additional problem that large household items such as furniture, fridges and mattresses are frequently dumped at the site.

Our pictures illustrate the problems on a Friday in July.

The issue was raised by long-time Ash resident Mr Richard Tolley, who complained at a recent meeting of Ash Parish Council that the site was often full to overflowing and the problems needed serious attention.

Guildford Borough Council says the problems arise because of misuse of the site and urged residents to dispose of their waste correctly.

GBC’s lead councillor for Parks, Waste and Recycling, Cllr George Potter, said collections were frequent but some people used the site improperly.

Cllr George Potter

“Although the recycling centre at Coronation Gardens is well serviced, it does attract a lot of fly-tipping,” he said.

“The recycling and cardboard bins are emptied on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The site is cleaned on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Unfortunately, black sacks and bulky waste items such as furniture and fridges often appear on a daily basis.

“We encourage residents to find out how to dispose of bulky waste correctly on our website. People can arrange the collection of household appliances, white goods and furniture.”

https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/24523/Do-I-need-a-bulky-waste-collection

For some Ash people, the basic problem is that they have to travel to the recycling sites at Guildford, Camberley or Farnham if they want to dispose of numerous or bulky items without being charged. They are now charged £5 if they want to visit their nearest recycling site, at North Lane, Aldershot, just over the county border in Hampshire. GBC’s collection fees for large items start at £49.

Cllr Fiona White

The chair of Ash Parish Council, Cllr Fiona White, and Lib Dem borough councillor for Ash Wharf, told The Guildford Dragon: “I have to say that I understand the borough council’s position on the fly-tipping at Coronation Gardens. I would urge anyone using the recycling centre not to leave their waste if the centre is already full and to check the best way of disposing of bulky waste by checking on the GBC website.”

The height barrier at Coronation Gardens was damaged by a GBC vehicle recently and it is understood this has hampered collections.

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