NEW recycling banks for mixed plastics which were rolled out across Basingstoke in June may now be removed, after the company collecting the plastics pulled out of running the service.

As reported in The Gazette, nine mixed recycling banks were installed across the borough for residents to recycle items including yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, food trays, bottle tops and Tetra Pak fruit juice containers, in a bid to increase the amount of materials that can be recycled.

But now, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has warned that the recycling banks will be removed at the end of the month unless another company is found to collect and process the plastics in the UK.

Recresco, the company which was responsible for this, has informed the council that it can no longer provide this service.

The council is working to find a replacement company to collect and process the plastic, but if a new one is not found, the banks will be removed from the borough from the week commencing Monday, September 29.

The council is also working with Project Integra, a partnership of councils across Hampshire, to look at ways to process more items at its recycling sorting plant so they can be collected in the green bins.

Councillor Hayley Eachus, cabinet member for community services and the environment, said: “Having finally found a company that collected and processed mixed plastics within the UK we were keen to get residents to take these items along to their nearest bank instead of putting them in their grey bin.

“It is a huge disappointment that this service may now not continue. We are looking to find a replacement company but we obviously want to offer this service in the most environmentally friendly way, so we are limited to finding companies that will then process what they collect in the UK and not send it abroad.”

Basingstoke and Deane is one of the worst performing local authorities in Britain for recycling, ranked 21 out of 352 according to figures published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Currently, only 25.5 per cent of waste is recycled in the borough, compared to approximately 50 per cent that could be.