Recycling points binned over fly-tipping
STOCKPORT council has axed recycling collection points because they are ‘too expensive’ and have become ‘fly-tipping magnets’.
The sites - often in the borough’s car parks - are for residents to drop off bottles, cans, plastics and other waste.
But the council says the rubbish deposited there is too expensive to collect and that businesses are using the sites to get rid of trade waste.
Bins have now been removed from the locations.
Compstall resident Chris Hill raised the issue after noticing the recycling points at Etherow Country Park and behind Romiley’s Forum Theatre were missing.
He said: “At first I just thought they were being refurbished but they have gone forever.
“I’d never seen them empty, in fact quite the opposite, so the community clearly used them. By taking them away, surely you are encouraging fly-tipping.
“I went past the one in Romiley the other day and there was stuff left there, people just get frustrated and leave it.
“This seems to go against encouraging people to recycle their rubbish.”
There were around six bins in the car park at Etherow, says Chris, 71.
Ones that are there to collect shoes and clothes for charity purposes remain at the site.
Typically Stockport council deals with around 3,000 instances of fly-tipping annually and punishments range from a £250 fixed penalty fine to £50,000 or 12 months’ imprisonment at magistrates court.
And it was announced last week that the on-the-spot fine for littering is to increase from £75 to £100.
Marple councillor Geoff Abell attended a full council meeting on April 5, where issues of expense and the attraction of trade waste at recycling sites were raised.
He said: “I regret the passing of these bins. I wish more was done to recycle.”
A council spokesman said: “Recycling bring sites (collection points) across the borough are currently being removed, as residents are able to recycle their waste from their home through their blue, brown and green bins.
“The bring sites were installed before wheelie bins were provided to households and now duplicate the kerbside collection services.
“Many have become a magnet for fly-tipping and illegally dumped trade waste. Recycling from bring sites is also frequently contaminated with materials that can’t be recycled.”