Eighty recycling banks are to be removed from sites across Telford & Wrekin because of the success of the borough’s kerbside collection scheme, it was announced today.

Telford & Wrekin Council said the amount of items collected at the “bring banks” had reduced significantly.

And it has meant a large number of the banks at the borough’s 47 sites only need to be emptied once a year.

They currently only represent five per cent of the council’s recycling rate.

The bring banks will now either be returned in the new year to the company that supplied them or sold as scrap metal to generate an income for the council.

Councillor Adrian Lawrence, cabinet member for environment, said: “This is good news because it shows that the Kerbside Recycling Scheme has been a huge success.”

He added: “As well as the significant decrease in use of bring banks, they can act as a magnet for fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour, which is something we all wish to see stamped out given all our efforts to improve local environment quality within the community.

“Continuation of the bring banks service is uneconomical and inefficient to run so withdrawal will start on January 4 and will last up to two months.

“However, the borough’s four community recycling centres at Granville, Halesfield 1, Whitchurch Drive in Ketley and Springfield Industrial Estate in Newport will continue to have a full range of facilities and we will retain the underground bring banks that are being developed at Ketley and Dawley.

Councillor Lawrence added: “We are confident that the very low level tonnages now collected through bring banks will be redirected to either the enhanced kerbside service or the community recycling centres.

“The improvements we have already made to the kerbside collection scheme have made it more convenient for homeowners, and we are working on other initiatives such as a review of recycling receptacles to make it even better for people.”

The council will be informing elected members, parish and town councils and land owners who presently host bring banks of the change to the service.

By Lisa Rowley