Councillors on the DWP’s joint committee have agreed to remove most banks in Christchurch, East Dorset and North Dorset from June and in other areas once the ‘recycle for Dorset’ service has been rolled out. Sites that suffer from fly-tipping may be removed earlier.
There are 140 bring bank sites in Dorset, which cost more than £115,000 to maintain last year. The Dorset Waste Partnership says the use of bring banks has dropped significantly since the ‘recycle for Dorset’ kerbside collection service was launched in October 2012.
By weight, up to 68 per cent less paper and card, 86 per cent less cans and 54 per cent less glass were collected from banks in Christchurch, East Dorset and North Dorset between January and September 2013 than in the same period of 2012.
Around 40 sites will be kept in key locations as well as banks for materials that cannot currently be recycled at the kerbside, including aluminium foil, beverage cartons and textiles.
Hilary Cox, Chair of the DWP Joint Committee, said: “Residents can now recycle much more at home using the ‘recycle for Dorset’ service, so really don’t need the bring banks, which are costly to maintain.
“Although provided for householders only, the banks are often used by businesses, who are responsible for disposing of their own waste.
“We can help businesses with this change by offering free advice as well as a value-for-money commercial waste and recycling service.”
Recycling rates have risen to more than 62 per cent in Christchurch, East Dorset and North Dorset since the new service was introduced there in October 2012 and June 2013. The service will start in Purbeck and part of West Dorset in March, followed by Weymouth and Portland and a further part of West Dorset in October and the rest of West Dorset in 2015.
By 2015, the DWP aims to increase Dorset’s recycling rate to more than 65 per cent and drive down costs by £2m a year.
For more information about Dorset’s bring banks, visit www.dorsetforyou.com/minirecyclingcentres
