Frustration with the irregular closing times of the recycling centre at Troy has prompted Monmouth Town Council to look at ways of alerting Monmouth residents to whether the site is closed or open before setting off.

Cllr Kelly Jackson-Graham proposed that the town council spend £700 on a sensor and online gateway which would send a signal via the community wireless network alerting users as to when the site is temporarily shut for health and safety reasons when the skips are being changed.

Cllr Jamie Treharne supported the proposal saying "it shows that the town council really cares about people going out to the skips".

Councillor Sue White was concerned that the alert would go out after users had set off for the site.

Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) and site operator, Viridor would have to agree for the sensor to be used on the entrance gates but it could be a solution to residents loading up their vehicles and setting off only to find the site has closed for up to an hour whilst essential maintenance is carried out onsite.

A breakdown in the site’s roller compactor led to a half day closure last month.

With the four recycling centres in the county under threat of closure or reduced recycling times, the county council are under pressure with residents receiving increased council tax bills through the post last month. Measures to stop out-of-county visitors will see free tax disc-style permits issued to county residents and only those with a permit will be allowed in.

MCC are aware of the problems and say on their website that "the location and topography of the current site means there is no room for expansion".

Troy is a satellite recycling centre, the facility at Llanfoist is designed to allow skip movements without the need to close. Due to the size of the site and limited access at Troy, changing skips is not a quick process and requires the site to be closed to the public. Proposals going before a full county council meeting could see Troy closing on Thursdays and Fridays, and the Usk centre on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Should the sensor be given the go-ahead, the signal could be sent to MCC’s website and the town council website and should the site ever close, the sensor could be reused elsewhere, so the initial outlay would not be wasted. MCC are trialling an email notification service to alert people when the Troy site will be closed.