Hampshire County Council confirms construction to begin this spring on new state-of-the-art recycling facility

The facility, which is expected to be up and running by 2028, will support households across the Hampshire region to recycle more materials from that point, including a much wider range of plastic packaging such as pots, tubs, trays, cartons and soft plastic film; glass; metal; paper and cardboard. It follows the recent expansion of food waste collections across the county.

Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Universal Services, Councillor Kirsty North, said: “This is a major investment in Hampshire’s future, which will look to make best use of modern automated sorting technology, including the potential for robotics and artificial intelligence to enable Hampshire authorities to recover more materials, more efficiently than ever before - including a wider range of plastics such as pots, tubs, trays and films, as well as cartons and glass. It represents the step change needed to offer a simpler and more consistent recycling system for every household - building on the significant progress already being made through the recent expansion of weekly food waste collections. We are investing in an efficient, modern and truly future-proof facility, designed to evolve as technology and consumer trends change. Once operational, it will be central to how we boost recycling rates, reduce our carbon impact, and meet our climate change commitments.”

The £50.5 million investment has been developed in conjunction with Hampshire’s neighbouring waste disposal partners - Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council - who will jointly fund the project to ensure a consistent service across the region. Plans for the new facility were confirmed in April 2025 once Government provided the certainty needed on national recycling requirements, enabling Hampshire to move ahead with delivering the right long-term infrastructure for residents.

Councillor Dave Ashmore, Cabinet member for environmental services at Portsmouth City Council, said: “This project represents an important milestone for Portsmouth and for the wider Hampshire area. The new materials recovery facility means our residents will benefit from a modern, efficient recycling system that reflects how people live today and the types of packaging we all encounter. By joining forces with our neighbouring authorities, we are securing the infrastructure needed to improve recycling performance, reduce waste, and manage resources responsibly for the long term. This is a smart, sustainable investment that will deliver real environmental benefits for years to come.”

Councillor John Savage, Cabinet Member for Environment and Net Zero at Southampton City Council, said:
“There is no lack of willingness to recycle in Southampton – our residents have shown that clearly. The fantastic uptake in weekly food waste collections, with well over 200 tonnes collected already, proves that people want to do the right thing when the right systems are in place. This project is an important next step, making it even easier for residents to recycle more of the items they use every day, while helping us move towards a greener Southampton and meet the Government’s recycling reforms.”

Veolia’s Regional Director, Ben Slater, said: “We are very pleased to be helping to construct this brand-new materials recovery facility for all of the county’s residents. This facility will allow us to sort a wider range of materials for recycling, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the county’s three waste disposal authorities to deliver a more circular economy for everyone.”

The new facility will align with the Government’s Simpler Recycling legislation, which requires dry recyclable materials to be separated from other waste to reduce contamination. This occurs when material such as cardboard becomes wet or contaminated with food residue, or become mixed with glass, reducing the quality of the material and limiting recycling. Managing waste in this way will minimise the current £2 million annual cost of sorting contaminated material and ensure that the recyclable materials carefully separated by Hampshire residents can be put to the best possible use.