Workers' 'shock' at proposed recycling centre cuts

Workers at household waste recycling centres in Cornwall say they feel they have been "punched in the guts" after finding out about potentially having their working hours reduced.

A representative of some of the affected staff - who are employed by Suez Recycling and Recovery UK - said they had not been warned some of the centres it runs on the council's behalf could be closed two days a week.

It comes after news that nine of the county's 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are likely to no longer open seven days a week, according to budget documents released in November.

The council's cabinet has recommended the decision as part of almost £50m of savings it needs to make in its 2025/26 budget, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

If the cuts are approved by full council later this month, HWRCs in Bodmin, Bude, Connon Bridge, Helston, Newquay, Redruth, St Day, Tintagel and Truro would all see their opening hours reduced from seven days a week to five days.

Centres at Launceston, Saltash, St Austell, Falmouth and St Erth will "initially" remain open seven days a week but will be "subject to further modelling and future consideration".

The news comes after a booking system was introduced at a number of the HWRCs.

The proposed cuts are an attempt by Cornwall Council to save £200,000 a year, documents show.

A member of staff at one of the affected centres, who did not wish to be named, said: "We all feel like we've been punched in the guts. There's a lot of worry about what will happen next."

Cornwall Council said the possible changes to recycling centre hours were outlined in budget documents which had been online since November 15.

A council spokesperson said: "Details of our draft budget proposals including how we operate our household waste recycling centres were outlined in our recent draft budget consultation."

The council added that all HWRC staff were employed by Suez.

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