Church Stretton cardboard collections may return

Plans to reinstate cardboard recycling collections in Church Stretton are being investigated, it has been revealed.

Members of Church Stretton Town Council are looking into ways of reviving the service after kerbside collections were axed by the county's waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services.

It comes after several requests were made by residents in the town for a replacement service.

Options, including finding a new recycling company to collect cardboard, will be discussed the town council tomorrow night.

But town mayor Bob Welch has warned that any proposal would need to be financially viable, and added councillors would be carrying out research into a number of ideas before a final decision was made.

Kerbside cardboard collections have been axed across the county after Shropshire Council officials said cardboard collected in green bins could no longer be collected with green waste due to ink from the cardboard affecting the quality of compost .

Veolia, which has a 27-year contract to deal with the county's waste, is continuing to collect paper, glass, metal and plastic at the kerbside to be recycled.

Councillor Welch said: "I have heard requests from a number of residents asking for something to be done. But our difficulty is knowing how viable it will be to collect cardboard which has the allegedly toxic ink which is the reason given by Shropshire Council for discontinuing kerbside collections.

"Until we have researched this properly we cannot commit to any project, especially considering the current economic climate and the budget constraints.

"At this moment in time it does not look too promising that other recycling companies will be willing to take this on. As a town council we will be consulting other councils to see whether there is an economically viable alternative"

The meeting at the Silvester Horne Institute starts at 7pm.

By Peter Kitchen