www.findamarket.net – *** NEWS ***

Surrey Street market traders are hoping that with the council’s help they will be able to recycle much of the estimated 700 tonnes of waste that the market generates every year. The potential saving could be as high as £50,000.

At roughly £100 per tonne in landfill charges and with the added cost of storage and collection, the annual waste bill for Surrey Street runs to many tens of thousands of pounds.

Cardboard accounts for about 30% of the market’s rubbish each day, and will begin to be collected by the end of July. In total as much as 80% of the total waste could eventually be able to be recycled or composted.

Market traders’ representative Rosanna Lovett, said: “We hope this will be an environmentally friendly way to cut our waste costs.”

Fiona Woodcock, Market Inspector, said: “I’m delighted that we are going to be making good use of all this waste. Anyone who needs cardboard boxes can always still come down and ask us for some though, and there’s loads of other packaging that could be reused if people want to be inventive. For instance we have grapes that come all the way from Chile that are beautifully wrapped in tissue and ribbon - at the moment this just gets thrown away.”

The council hopes that by March 2012 the market will be recycling the vast majority of its waste. Cardboard will be collected from July this year with the plan being to pick up food waste by the end of March next.

Councillor Phil Thomas, cabinet member for environment and highways, said: “Many of our residents are already regular recyclers and I’m pleased that we have been able to work out a practical method of helping our market traders to follow suit.”

CROYDON’S 102-year old market will not re-open at Centro Croydon shopping centre.

PCL Prattcorp, the centre’s new owners, confirmed tothe Leader on Friday that the market had finished on the site after 90 years.

Property manager Gullu Ertekin blamed the closure on safety, insurance and feedback from tenants.

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“I can categorally say no, the market will not open again,’’ Ms Ertekin said.

Ms Ertekin spoke to the Maroondah Leader after the company earlier released a statement on the issue.

“We recognise the anguish and hurt that the closure has created for some stall users,’’ the statement said.

“It has been a hard decision, but we believe it has been the right one to make.’‘

Monbulk nursery owner Emmanuel Berger, who has sold plants at the market for up to 50 years, said Prattcorp had shown little compassion.

“It is absolutely revolting, they could have done it in a more humane manner,’’ Mr Berger said.

The market’s future had been clouded since more than 100 traders arrived to find it closed on June 27.

Prattcorp, in its statement, said it intended to submit future plans – such as improving car park lighting, signs, security and pedestrian access – to Maroondah Council within three months.

Ms Ertekin said the company was “unsure’’ about future development but was “working rapidly’’ to submit a masterplan to the council.