Recyclable items sent to landfill? That's rubbish! (From Warrington Guardian)

Recyclable items sent to landfill? That's rubbish!

THE borough council has refuted claims from a regular recycler that some of the household waste taken to the Fearnhead centre goes straight to landfill.

One Fearnhead resident, who does not wish to be named, takes her rubbish to the recycling bins on Fearnhead Lane every week, but last Monday she claims she was told, by a member of staff from the borough council, that he was taking the waste straight for landfill.

The resident said: "There was rubbish all over the floor because the bins had not been emptied.

"I was dropping off some plastic bottles and when I asked the council worker where he was taking the rubbish, he said it was going to landfill.

"If it's going to be left on the floor and not recycled at all I may as well save myself the trouble and put it in my wheelie bin.

"It's so annoying when people are saying we should be recycling more of our waste."

Warrington's current recycling rate is 13.4 per cent, which compares favourably with other local authorities and the figure has trebled over the past four years.

People in St Helens recycle 9.54 per cent of household waste, Wigan Council has a 12 per cent recycling rate and Trafford residents recycle just 6.5 per cent.

Paul McHenry, the council's waste management officer, said Christmas is always a busy time for people recycling their waste and with some workers taking festive leave, it can make the situation worse.

He added: "I can assure the public that we do not allow any of our contractors to take recyclable items to the landfill.

"The recycling companies who service the sites are often paid on a bonus basis, based on the tonnage they collect, so I find it difficult to believe that it was a council employee who suggested we dispose of recyclable material in any way other than properly. We are, however, investigating the allegation."