Leicester's recycling sites could be scrapped in cost-cutting move

More than half of Leicester’s recycling banks could be scrapped as part of cost-cutting proposals

There are 62 small sites, called bring banks, dotted around the city where people can deposit bottles, paper and cardboard.

However Leicester City Council, which operates the sites, says they are being used less and less, with people instead preferring to dispose of their recycling using the weekly orange bags kerbside collections.

The authority says half of the £80,000-a-year running costs of the recycling sites could be saved if 37 of them were removed.

Officials have launched a consultation on the proposals which runs until Monday, June 10.

The council envisages a new service with 25 key sites where people will be able to recycle a wider range of materials.

It says that since the introduction of the orange bag recycling service in 2011, the amount of recycling collected from the bring banks has reduced significantly because people can now more easily recycle paper, card and glass as part of their kerbside collection.

In 2010, more than 450 tonnes of paper and card and about 375 tonnes of glass were collected from the bring banks.

Last year, just 150 tonnes of paper and card and 200 tonnes of glass were dropped off at the sites.

On average, the amount of recycling collected from the city’s orange bag service is 16,000 tonnes per year.

Deputy mayor Councillor Adam Clarke said: “The current recycling bank arrangements have been in place for many years.

“Since 2011, fewer and fewer people have been using these bring banks to recycle their waste paper, cardboard and glass, preferring the convenience of the orange bag scheme.

“With ongoing pressures on council budgets, it is vital that we look at whether these bring banks still represent an efficient way of helping people recycle.

“Many of the bring bank sites are barely used and starting to look a bit tired.

“We want to address by revamping and improving facilities at key sites across the city and removing any existing bring banks that are no longer needed.”

The council says it does not yet know which of the 62 bring bank locations will go and that it will not make that decision until after the consultation.

The authority will continue to manage the 36 existing textiles recycling banks. Use of these banks has grown considerably in the past 10 years.

In 2010, just under 100 tonnes of textiles was collected from the banks. Last year, this was more than 250 tonnes.

Textiles cannot currently be recycled as part of the orange bag service.

Take part in the consultation by completing a simple online survey at:

www.leicester.gov.uk/consultations