Armidale Dumaresq councillors agreed to the plan on Monday.

They hope a more modern, attractive facility will encouraging greater recycling among residents.

The upgrade, which includes a drop-off bay for depositing dangerous material, signage and landscaping, was made possible by a $223,000 grant from the NSW Environmental Trust.

Council will need to contribute to the cost, with funding coming from its domestic waste management reserve.

“This upgrade will make recycling more accessible and convenient and is at minimal cost to ratepayers,” Mayor Herman Beyersdorf said. Councillors also agreed to building 13 new containers on vacant land next to the centre to stockpile recyclables such as tyres, scrap metals and hard plastic.

The area will also process waste, including crushing waste concrete and mulching green material.

A two-metre high security fence will cordon off the stockpiles, which will be accessible by a footpath.

Two small trees will be 

felled to accommodate the stockpiles.

Council officers said the new facility would make current waste processing more efficient, with much of the work conducted on the landfill site.

The service will be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm and 7am to 1pm on Saturday.

“Our existing landfill site is almost full and will be closed soon; we need extra room for recoverable waste, such as tyres and concrete,” Mayor Beyersdorf said.

“This facility will be for bulk recycling waste only.”

He expected the city’s new $14 million landfill facility off Waterfall Way to be completed by early next year.

That facility is designed to service Armidale for 50 years and would have capacity for 750,000 tonnes of waste.

Mayor Beyersdorf said the upgrade and stockpiles were separate to the recycling shop in Long Swamp Road, however, all services were on the same site.