A LOCAL campaign group is calling on Herefordshire Council to do more to recycle plastics in Herefordshire.

Members of the Ewyas Harold & District for People and Planet group, which has been providing a recycling service for items not covered by the kerb side collections, want the county council to up its game.

The group has been recycling things such as soft plastics such as compost and fertiliser bags, plastic film and rigid plastic tubs.

But recently the group says the firm they have been taking plastic to is struggling to shift the materials for processing and is not accepting any more.

They say that although the plastic they have been collecting was processed in the UK, a lot of it was sent to China and the country is no longer taking it.

They say a good way to deal with the plastic problem is to immediately stop producing certain types of plastic and using alternative materials for packaging, particularly for food such including paper, cardboard, cellophane, bamboo, wood, and other organic matter.

Group spokesperson Sue Young said: “A small group like ours cannot collect and store the quantities of plastic which some recycling facilities require.

“Therefore, we call on Herefordshire Council to be proactive and increase its plastic recycling facilities. This is far too serious an issue to leave to the vagaries of the market.”

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said they recognise the importance of protecting the environment.

“Over the past decade we have made excellent progress on our strong environmental commitments,” he said.

“At a recent meeting of full council, members voted unanimously to accelerate our efforts to combat climate change and to revise our environmental commitments.

“As a result, there will be a special seminar for all members following the elections and we will be updating and extending our carbon management plan over the coming months.

“This will include our continued support for litter picking and initiatives to reduce one-use plastic products by the council itself, as well as investigating ways in which the council can improve its recycling targets.”