A proposal to bring back a low-cost waste recycling centre to Beccles has been sent to Suffolk County Council.

The town lost its free recycling centre in 2011 along with others across the county as part of council budget cuts.

Since then, a facility has been available at B&B Skips at Ellough Industrial Estate, but at a cost of £4 a visit, which many people have been reluctant to pay.

Bob Blizzard, Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Waveney, is now calling for the county council to contribute £5,000 a year to the facility which would cost £1 per visit for a vehicle load of household waste.

Under his proposal, B&B Skips would continue to operate the site while the council would pay the landfill tax for non-recyclable waste, currently incurred by B&B Skips.

Mr Blizzard said: “I have spoken to hundreds of people in Beccles over the past few years and the local issue most raised is the loss of the householders’ dump.

“People are driving further afield and queuing up at Lowestoft to dispose of rubbish, or sadly some are fly-tipping.”

Mr Blizzard said that at current usage levels, it would cost the county council £5,000 a year to pay the landfill tax on unrecycled waste with the £1 customer charge used by B&B Skips to operate the site.

As the site became more popular again, income would rise over a period of time, as would landfill tax costs, to an estimated maximum cost to the county council of £25,000 a year, the proposal suggests.

Mr Blizzard said: “Even in a tough financial climate, this is not a huge sum for Suffolk County Council and much cheaper than the previous £162,000 cost of the old site.”

Suffolk County Council leader Mark Bee said: “We are very interested to see the proposal. It comes at a time when Suffolk County Council is in a very difficult financial situation.”

He said the council was faced with many financial demands, not least assisting vulnerable people in the community and priority needed to be given to front-line services.

Mr Bee said the council would look closely at Mr Blizzard’s proposal, adding: “There is a lot of detail we would need to look at to see if this could work and we will of course give it serious consideration.”

Do you have a story for Beccles? Email lynn.crombie@archant.co.uk or call 01502 712060.