THE ‘BRING Bank’ recycling containers operated by Bromsgrove District Council will be removed as the authority bids to reduce fly-tipping, littering and other anti-social behaviour.
The withdrawal, which the authority says will also save it cash, will take place throughout September.
The banks, which offer drop off points for glass, paper and card and plastic, cost the council thousands of pounds-a-year to run and, despite the district having a recycling rate of 44 per cent, the containers only equate to one per cent towards it.
The authority added Bromsgrove’s seven bring banks were often misused by commercial organisations which dumped their recyclables and other items there to avoid fees.
Bring banks need to be cleaned weekly which costs at least £12.30 per site per week and other costs are incurred when one-off fly-tip clearances have to be done – they can range from £7 per black bag of rubbish to £115 when a transit van is needed.
Each fly-tip also has to have a follow-up visit which costs around £33.
A Bromsgrove District Council spokesperson told The Standard: “There was a time we actually received income for some materials taken to bring banks which helped fund other banks with materials which we got charged for when collected.
“Due to the changing nature of the recycling economy and recyclables being so readily abundant now that all houses in the UK have a recycling service, reprocessors can be picky about where they get their materials from and bring banks are generally of a very low quality.”
She added companies did not often pay for recyclables anymore and could often refuse the contents of them if the quality was particularly poor.
Council leader Coun Geoff Denaro said: “Bring Banks were once the only way residents could recycle anything, but now, with the introduction of our kerbside collection service, they are becoming obsolete.
“The money and time spent on cleaning up the sites can now be used for a better purpose, elsewhere within the district.”
The authority said residents would still be able to recycle excess waste – such as bottles or cardboard from parties or around Christmastime – at one of the Household Waste Sites. The nearest ones are at Quantry Lane, Romsley, and Crossgates Road, Redditch.
Residents who find they regularly have too many recyclables for their green bins can request an additional green bin.
Visit www.bromsgrove.gov.uk for more information or call Anna Wardell-Hill on 01527 881715 for more information on the removal of the banks.
