THE COUNCIL has taken the decision to close down the majority of its ‘bring bank’ recycling sites.

Only six “strategic sites” will remain open for residents in the borough to bring recyclable items to, including paper, cardboard and glass.

These are: Brighton Hill Shopping Centre; Chineham Shopping Centre; Castons Car Park; The Fieldgate Centre; Overton Hill Car Park; and Winklebury Centre.

This means that a total of 20 sites will soon be closed, with privately-owned sites being informed of the council’s decision to cease ‘bring bank’ collections, while council-owned sites will be reverted to car parking spaces.

Presenting the report at a meeting of the Community, Environment and Partnerships committee last month, cabinet member for recycling, waste and regulatory services, Cllr Hayley Eachus, said that the move was motivated by a desire to reduce fly-tipping at the sites, as well as to address the climate emergency by encouraging kerbside collection instead.

She said: “We have seen a massive increase recently in the abuse of these sites and people tend to see them as somewhere where they can just dump waste other than what is collected. It has gotten quite awful.

“Bring banks are not there for fly-tipping and if we just keep them, and keep clearing them, people are going to think they can keep dumping their waste there.”

She added: “We also have to look at the climate emergency, and if people are recycling at kerbside and not driving somewhere, that’s better as well to save carbon.

“So in taking away that ability to recycle at bring banks, we’re not taking away the ability to recycle, and that's absolutely key.”

Cllr Eachus also emphasised that the plans will not hinder charities, many of whom have already chosen to remove their textile banks from council-owned sites.

Improved signage and CCTV were also proposed for the remaining sites, to help in deterring fly-tippers.

However, some councillors raised concerns about the move, including Cllr Carolyn Wooldridge (Labour, Norden) who is worried about people living in flatted developments.

“Part of this paper is built on the premises that kerbside collections are available, but Cllr Eachus will be fully aware that in several of the Norden developments there have been massive problems with insufficient recycling bins,” she said.

“So while this may be a solution for councillors, it just doesn't work for people who live in flatted developments. Often those are people who don't have cars, and can't go to the tip and I actually think they are being disadvantaged with it.”

Others worried that closure of the sites could have the opposite effect on fly-tipping, moving it rather than reducing it. Among those was Cllr Jay Ganesh (Conservative, Sherborne St John & Rooksdown), who added: “My concern is around mitigation, because the problem could shift away from these sites, and around the wider borough.”

However, ultimately the recommendations were approved with eight votes for, and only Cllr Wooldridge voting against and Cllr Lucie Follett-Maitland abstaining.