South Oxfordshire District Council has announced the removal of a number of mixed recycling banks after their ‘deliberate misuse’ saw recyclates contaminated with fly-tipped commercial waste, including business correspondence, furniture and electronics.

The large mixed recycling bring banks, located at the Orchard Centre in Didcot, were intended for residential use but the council announced last week (24 August) that they had been so badly contaminated with non-recyclable commercial waste that, at times, ‘the entire contents… had to be sent to landfill’. As a result, they will no longer be available for use by the public.

Councillor David Dodds, Cabinet Member for Waste at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It’s very clear that these recycling bring banks are being abused by individuals or organisations that don’t want to dispose of their waste properly. It is costly to remove this waste and leads to increased landfill charges. Residents are suffering at the hands of the irresponsible few.”

Non-recyclable waste was found both in and around the banks and the council has now said that it is gathering evidence and intends to prosecute anyone found to have been deliberately disposing of waste in this way. Local businesses have also been reminded that they have ‘a responsibility to dispose of their waste through the correct channels’, and that the dumping of commercial waste at mixed recycling points is, in the council’s eyes, tantamount to fly-tipping.

Remaining sites across the area are being closely monitored, with signs put in place to warn potential fly-tippers of the repercussions they could face if caught. Neighbouring borough, Vale of White Horse District Council, has also reported a series of similar incidents.

The councils have not yet decided whether to remove all green recycling banks but stress that residents are welcome to leave any excess items out as part of their usual recycling collection, provided they are contained in a clear bag or open box.

Councillor Reg Waite, Cabinet Member for Waste at the Vale of White Horse, said: “We will not allow the individuals responsible for this to get away with fly-tipping like this. These recycling points are to assist ordinary residents who are being let down by the guilty parties. We would urge anybody with information to let us know, so we can stop this from happening further.”

Further information on the removal of recycling banks can be found on South Oxfordshire District Council’s website.