Swindon's household waste recycling centre

If the local environment were an entity capable of experiencing emotions, we daresay it would also be feeling rather cheerful.

The recycling centre is something of which our council should always be proud.

Its existence is well-publicised, its helpful staff are a credit to themselves and their employer, and the various waste receptacles are clearly marked.

The only bad thing any reasonable person might say about the place is that it is a victim of its own success. During busy periods, notably at weekends during the warmer months, customers often arrive to find a queue of vehicles stretching out of the centre and on to the road.

Thanks to the work of the traffic marshals on the site, the eventual wait is seldom excessive, but can still be long enough to put some visitors off.

The planned expansion will certainly make a huge and welcome difference, encouraging more people to wait when there is a line. Seeing plenty of movement among traffic ahead is always a psychological incentive to persevere with a queue.

In the meantime, the installation of a webcam, allowing prospective visitors to choose less busy periods, is an excellent idea, as is the extension of opening hours.

It will be a while until the expansion of the centre can take place, but in the meantime we have more reasons than ever to make use of this valuable - and free - facility.