Recycling bank closures

There are currently about 40 recycling banks across North East Lincolnshire at busy locations such as supermarkets and car parks.

They are located in convenient places for people to recycle reasonable amounts of cans, glass, paper and plastic.

But some of the sites are underused and others are used to illegally dump all kinds of other rubbish such as fridges, building waste and food waste.

Five sites are set to close during early December and include:

• Fishing Heritage Centre (underused, another site is nearby)
• Poplar Road, Healing (underused, another site is nearby)
• Duke of York Gardens (Site not suitable and suffers fly-tipping and vandalism, another site is nearby)
• Barrett’s Recreation Ground (underused)
• Morrison’s supermarket, Laceby (high levels of fly-tipping and unsuitable location)

Bins for glass bottles and jars will be replaced with bins for paper or plastic at bring to recycling sites in Beeson Street, Brighton Slipway, Haverstoe Park, Hope Court, Meridian Point, Meridian Road, Springfield Road, Sutcliffe Avenue and Western Outway.

The recycling bins for glass are underused and will be replaced with bins for paper or plastic to meet increased demand.
Three other sites are set to be removed or relocated early in the New Year and include:

• Garibaldi Street car park (underused and suffers fly-tipping)
• Welholme Road (site not suitable, too close to a school and busy road junction)
• Great Coates (request from parish council due to fly-tipping, new location needed).

All remaining sites are set to be deep cleaned and checked to see what repairs and improvements are needed, including improved signage.

The bin capacity of the sites and the timetable for emptying the recycling banks have been reviewed and will be monitored by the service.

Bring to site are designed for recycling, but unfortunately misused by some. Additional CCTV cameras are being relocated around recycling banks to provide a deterrent to fly-tipping and allow enforcement. Fixed Penalty notices will be issued to people caught fly-tipping.

Clothing, textile and shoe recycling bins have been found next to seven of the Council’s recycling banks. These bins do not belong to the Council and none of them have permission to be left on council land. The review will also look at how they are managed.

A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said:

“We’re set to close a number of recycling banks that are underused or are plagued by fly-tipping, sometimes on a daily basis.

“When the sites are fly-tipped it means our staff have to be taken from their regular duties to clean up the mess.

“In Great Coates, for example, the parish council has asked us to find a new location for the recycling banks because the current site is not suitable and suffers from high levels of fly-tipping.

“Removing problem sites that are proving to be a drain on resources will help us focus our efforts on the remaining sites and look at where further improvements can be made.”

When people illegally dump extra rubbish at the recycling banks it makes it difficult for council workers to empty the bins. Some of the waste can also attract rats and other pests.

Leaving rubbish around recycling banks is fly-tipping. You can be fined or prosecuted. To report fly-tipping visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/flytipping.

If the recycling banks are full or if people have a lot of waste to recycle, it should be taken to one of the Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) in Estuary Way, Grimsby, or Queens Road, Immingham.

To find out more about recycling in North East Lincolnshire visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/recycling.