NOW in its third year as a Middlewich neighbour, Ansa says it wants to be more transparent.

Company directors know residents hold suspicions around the Cheshire East Council-owned waste management company.

And it is hoping to build bridges with the people who live closest to it.

Kevin Melling, managing director at Ansa, told the Guardian: “I worry that people think strange things go on in the building behind us – that it’s got mountains of waste in there, it’s all being processed and it’s an accident waiting to happen.

“I want to break down that myth.”

Key to this will be social media, with the firm eager to push out important updates on issues that could affect residents – such as odours – before they are reported by neighbours.

Ansa also wants to provide more information and images online to show residents what the environmental hub looks like inside.

Northwich Guardian:

How the bays are kept overnight in the building where residual waste is sorted

The site is made up of different buildings, including two new ones where waste is brought in from lorries.

One building has residual waste, which is then sent off to an energy from waste plant in the Wirral, while the other is for recycling.

READ > How Ansa bosses are 'doing their best' to prevent another Middlewich odour issue

Kevin believes residents would be surprised to see how well the buildings are maintained and the relatively low amount of waste that is held on-site overnight.

He added: “If I was taking you to 10, 20 or 30 other sites operating nationally, I would put my money on it that we are in the top handful of sites that are being managed.”