Caerphilly County Borough Council has begun the procurement process for a contractor to build a new recycling operations depot in Ystrad Mynach.
The proposed facility at Dyffryn Business Park forms part of the council’s Waste and Recycling Strategy.
The purpose-built depot will enable the council to process all kerbside recycling materials locally and replace its existing operations depot at Tir-y-berth.
A two-stage procurement process is now underway, with demolition expected to begin in October 2026, subject to planning permission. A full planning application was submitted earlier this year.
Councillor Chris Morgan, cabinet member for waste and recycling, said: “The proposed new facility will help future-proof our recycling services, improve operational efficiency and support us in meeting increasingly ambitious recycling targets.”
The development is being part-funded by the Welsh Government and is intended to provide a modern depot while increasing local recycling processing capacity.
The council needs to increase its recycling rate, or it risks facing significant fines for not hitting targets set by Welsh Government (WG). A new CCBC Waste and Recycling Strategy has been agreed, and a key focus is CCBC moving towards WG’s preferred ‘blueprint’ method for waste and recycling collections. Our current infrastructure is not sufficient for this collection method and so the development of a new recycling facility is critical for the success of the Strategy.
The site will be developed on Dyffryn Industrial Estate, between Ystrad Mynach and Llanbradach. The site has convenient access to the 469 dual carriageway and is centrally located within the county borough.
The site will predominantly be where recyclable material from our collection rounds will be bulked up for onward processing at external recycling facilities. The site will also act as the council’s new fleet depot, replacing the existing depot in Tir Y Berth.
Options for the future use on Tir y Berth depot are still under consideration.
Funding
The total capital cost to implement the council’s wider waste and recycling strategy is forecast at £54.804m, which includes the purchase of new collection vehicles, containers and associated investment.
Site activity and operating hours
The council is very mindful of the impact of any activity on surrounding homes and businesses. The site is located on a busy business park, which already has lots of HGV movement and industrial activity, so the new development is very much in keeping with surrounding operations. All on-site activity and potential impacts will be carefully considered as part of the planning application process. All recycling operations will be undertaken within a purpose-built building.
The exact timings are yet to be agreed, but the council’s waste and recycling collection staff currently start at around 5am, so there will be activity on site from early morning onwards.
We anticipate that, subject to planning permission being granted, the site will become operational in 2028.
Next steps and planning
Now the council has purchased the site, a planning application will need to be submitted before the scheme can move forward. The planning application would include extensive details about the operations on site and what controls will be put in place to limit any impacts and monitor activity etc. The application would then be considered by the Planning Committee in due course.
All interested parties will have the opportunity to submit their views as part of the formal planning process. If the development proceeds, there will be extensive communication and engagement plans put in place to keep everyone informed and updated.
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