Row erupts over Wealden District Council plans to close community recycling points

The issue arose after the council’s Conservative group issued a statement calling for a reversal of plans to close the district’s remaining ‘bring sites’ — places where residents can drop off glass, cardboard and some other forms of household waste for recycling.

The council has confirmed it is moving forward with plans to decommission these sites both as a way to tackle issues of fly-tipping and to save money, as the sort of waste collected at the bring sites can already be put out on the kerbside.

In the statement, Hadlow Down councillor Michael Lunn criticised the impending closure of the bring site in his ward, saying residents wished to keep the facility.

Cllr Lunn said: “There is no reason for it to be closed, it is well-used and well-liked. We have not experienced fly-tipping, the site is hidden within the compound of Wilderness Wood.

“My appeal for the council to reconsider fell on deaf ears and now it’s time for the community to speak.

“Under Conservative control, Wealden had the highest recycling rate in East Sussex.Rather than doing the bare minimum required of it by legislation, Wealden should continue to lead the way in recycling initiatives.”

Conservative group leader Ann Newton added to the criticism saying the council’s Green/Lib Dem administration should be ‘encouraging recycling as much as possible’.

When approached by the LDRS, however, a council spokesman said the plans to close the bring sites began in 2020 — a time when Conservatives controlled the council.The Conservative group have disputed this, saying the previous administration had never signed off on such a policy. Former cabinet members acknowledged that several sites have closed in recent years, but said these closures were on a ‘case-by-case’ basis, typically where issues of fly-tipping were present.

They say the council can and should prevent further closures

The current administration takes a different view. In briefing notes provided to the LDRs, officers told councillors that the decision to close the bring sites had been made by the council’s head of service in July 2019, shortly after the authority moved its waste contract to Biffa.

In these notes, officers say the intention was always for the council to close all of its bring sites and this process began in 2020. The note goes on to say that former portfolio holders were understood to be “fully aware” of the policy at the time.

Minutes from a joint waste committee meeting in October last year show the policy was reported in public papers on at least one occasion, although the LDRS has seen no evidence the closure policy underwent any public consultation before moving ahead.

Despite this, it is noted the council has already removed 40 sites, with officers saying they had received fewer than 10 queries from residents about these previous closures.

According to the council’s website, there are 15 bring sites currently remaining in the district, with a further seven sites which can only take shoes and textiles. It is understood these sites are all set for closure.

A council spokesman said: “Wealden District Council is continuing its ongoing work which began in 2020 to make changes to its small network of local recycling bring sites. These sites were originally introduced over 15 years ago primarily to collect glass bottles and jars for recycling which were not collected through the kerbside recycling service at that time.

“Subsequent improvements to the kerbside recycling service mean the same recycling materials collected at the local bring sites, including glass bottles and jars, can now be placed into the recycling bin provided to each household making it easier than ever to recycle at home.

“Furthermore, many of the local recycling bring sites have been experiencing on-going antisocial behaviour with fly tipping, commercial waste and general contamination. Where this happens often the material we collect from the bring sites is too contaminated to be treated as recycling.

“In view of the above we are continuing to remove the remaining network of local recycling bring sites. Where charity clothes, shoes or other recycling containers are in place they will be retained and where possible expanded.

“Where these sites are located in our car parks we will look to install additional parking if the space is suitable to benefit the local community.”

“Please be assured these changes are being made to encourage residents to make full use of their recycling bin at home, save money by avoiding a duplicate service and to tackle antisocial behaviour such as fly tipping.”