Fly-tipping and misuse force recycling centre to close

Buy photos » Repeated misuse of a recycling centre at Rugby's Tesco superstore has forced the borough council to shut it down. (s)

REPEATED misuse of a recycling centre at Rugby's Tesco superstore has forced council chiefs to shut it down.

Contamination and fly-tipping at the Leicester Road recycling centre led to Rugby Borough Council environment bosses shutting it down last Friday (January 4) after talks with Tesco over the problem broke down.

The council was having to send three lorries a day there to deal with the problem - one for the recycling, another for contaminated material, and a third for the fly tipping left around the containers.

Over Christmas and New Year alone, one-and-a-half tonnes of rubbish had to be removed.

Discussions between the council and Tesco failed to lead to an agreement on how to deal with the problem, or a new location for the site, so it was shut.

Rugby's head of environmental services, Sean Lawson, said: "It is disappointing this facility has been repeatedly misused, to the point where we have to remove it.

"We have tried to resolve this issue but we have now run out of options. Alternative recycling facilities are available elsewhere in town, and also at the Hunter's Lane Waste Recycling Centre, and I would ask residents to use these facilities instead."

The textiles and shoe recycling bins at the site are run by Tesco and will remain in use.

Any future fly-tipping or contamination at the site will now be the responsibility of Tesco.

Since Rugby's three bin recycling and refuse service was introduced in 2009, there has been a gradual decline in the use of recycling centres.

But some sites have seen an increase in misuse and abuse, including illegal dumping and fly-tipping along with other criminal and anti-social behaviour.

People who witness fly-tipping at recycling centres should report it to the borough council by calling 01788 533335.

Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/recycling for a list of recycling centres.

Regional news »