PLANS to appoint a contractor for the expansion of the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Pontypool have been given the go ahead.

At Torfaen council cabinet meeting last week, members were asked to give a contract and issue a letter of intent to a contractor for the construction of the recycling centre on Panteg Way, New Inn.

The requirement for a new or extended site was agreed as part of the Torfaen Waste Management Strategy report presented to cabinet in June 2011.

In November 2013 the capital programme review board approved the funding strategy for the project, which had expected cost for the delivery of the site of between £1.3 million and £1.5 million.

On March 6 2014, the project was given planning consent.

Six contractors were then invited to tender, which were evaluated on the basis of price and quality. The successful bidding contractor scored highest and was also the lowest-priced tender submitted, for £889,590.

The expansion will help the authority reach its statutory recycling targets, enabling residents to recycle a greater range of materials.

The proposal will result in a recurring revenue saving of around £60,000 per annum, as less will be sent to landfill while Torfaen council will also pay less landfill tax.

This saving is being used to fund the prudential borrowing associated with the scheme.

Cabinet members gave approval for the project to proceed.