Willmott Dixon has started works on-site at Kibworth Recycling and Household Waste Site. The highly anticipated £5m scheme is set to modernise and expand the facility, which will present additional safety features and enhance the customer experience on-site.

The site is one of 14 recycling and household waste sites in Leicestershire available to the public and will be closed until the works are complete this Autumn.

Nick Heath, director of delivery at Willmott Dixon, said:

“We are pleased to be pressing ahead with the works at Kibworth Recycling and Household Waste Site and working alongside our delivery partners to support Leicestershire County Council to improve the facility.

“We are proud to be growing our remit as a partner of choice for waste and recycling developments - providing trusted counsel to enhance productivity, efficiency and sustainable design.”

The renovations for the new split-level site include new bulk storage areas, waste bin locations, access ramps, and a weighbridge. The new office and welfare unit will include energy saving technologies such as automated LED lighting, and electric vehicle charging points will be available for staff to use.

The completed result will allow for improved recycling facilities, greater ease of use, improved drainage and traffic flow. The works will also provide safer access for site users through improved segregation of HGV and pedestrian traffic.

The project underlines Leicestershire County Council’s commitment to improve household waste services, who commissioned the project through Scape’s Major Works framework. The works are being carried out in collaboration with architecture practice Maber Associates.

Councillor Blake Pain, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said:

“Supporting our residents to recycle and to responsibly deal with their waste is a top priority for us and we are pleased to see work underway to improve the Kibworth site. Once the alterations are completed, residents will find the site more efficient and easier to use."

Mark Robinson, group chief executive of SCAPE, said:

“Effective management of waste is going to be a crucial component of the country’s efforts to hit net zero. Recycling is one of the simplest and most effective ways that a community can reduce its carbon emissions, and with the added benefits of energy saving technologies and electric vehicle charging points, the Kibworth site will set a strong example for the community.

“Along with a best-in-class delivery team, we’re proud to be helping Leicestershire County Council deliver vital improvements to a key, sustainable asset.”

Willmott Dixon is also working at Leicestershire’s Bardon Waste Transfer station. Both projects support the firm’s community impact by pledging to source 75% of labour locally and committing 75% of spend to local businesses. They also use sustainable site cabins, and will reuse all excavation waste on-site, with none going to landfill.