Shropshire Star

Call to scrap plans to close Shropshire's recycling banks

Councillors in Oswestry have called on the local authority to scrap plans to close bring banks across the county in a bid to save money.

Published

In December, Shropshire Council announced it would begin consulting on closing the 120 banks to save £230,000 per year, and reduce fly-tipping and littering which has risen at the banks around the county.

The issue was brought before Oswestry Town Council on Monday, where councillors were against the idea of removing them from sites around the town.

Mayor Sandy Best said the council raising the issue regarding fly-tipping was just putting 'a spin' on the matter.

She said: "I felt like the council were putting a spin on it to get themselves out of another thing.

"They say fly-tipping is happening, but more often than not to bring banks are overflowing.

"Some people can't get down to the big tip, and I for one would be against moving them."

Filthy

County councillor Vince Hunt said the one on the centre of Oswestry near to the town's health centre was 'filthy', and more needed to be done to keep it tidy.

He added: "When I went down there last time there were around 40 to 60 bags of bottles and other things just on the floor."

Councillor Mike Isherwood gave his view, and said the bring banks currently don't have enough facilities to take everything that people get rid of, and proposed that the valuable sites are retained.

Another councillor Olly Rose added that the issue was not generally around fly-tipping, because people will just find other places to fly-tip if the bring banks are closed.

Other councillors in other areas have also previously said that they believe removing the banks would lead to further fly-tipping.

It was agreed that the authority would write to the council urging the bring banks to remain in place.