Shropshire Star

Fly-tippers dump waste on Shropshire charity

Fly-tippers have left a Shropshire charity drowning in junk after the closure of a council rubbish tip and recycling centre, it was claimed today.

Published
John Jones from the Furniture Scheme with some of the dumped rubbish

South Shropshire Furniture Scheme redistributes unwanted household items to the poor and needy – but its leaders say some of the items people are leaving with it are unusable.

General manager James Cooper said that the closure of the Coder Road public amenity skip had led to "a sudden and alarming amount of fly tipping" at the scheme's Re-use Centre in Weeping Cross Lane, Ludlow.

He said: "Since the Coder Road site has been closed we have frequently turned up to work and found a large volume of items left outside our premises.

"Occasionally we find a re-useable item but unfortunately the majority has to go to landfill at a cost to the charity. A soggy mattress isn't much use to anyone. We are asking the public to either drop items off during our opening hours or phone to arrange collection."

The Furniture Scheme is well known for its environmental work but it has been overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of unusable items that have been left at its premises.

Shropshire Council offers a bulky waste collection service for the purpose. The service can be contacted on 0345 678 9007 or online at http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/recycling-and-rubbish/your-collection-service/bulky-waste

Mr Cooper said the Furniture Scheme could only accept donations that could be recycled or reused so they had to be in a reasonable condition. Upholstered items and soft furnishings must adhere to fire safety regulations.

Donations can be dropped off at the Weeping Cross Lane Reuse Centre during opening hours or can be collected free of charge in South Shropshire by arrangement.

Full details can be found at www.furniturescheme.co.uk/donate-receive/donate-furniture, by telephoning (01584) 877788, or by popping in to one of the scheme's sites.

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